CELMR Research Themes and Projects

Research Themes

Research in the centre is organised into four themes:

Education, Skills and Labour Mobility

The economic importance of human capital, and in particular education, has long been recognised by economists and policy makers. This programme of research focuses on the effects of education on labour market outcomes, the issue of occupational and spatial mobility and the impact of immigration on economic variables.

Inequality in the Labour Market

One of the most important developments in the European labour market has been a pronounced increase in labour market flexibility and the level of earnings inequality with profound socio-economic implications. This programme of research investigates various labour market themes including wage determination, low pay, unemployment and labour market discrimination.

Health and Work

This programme concentrates on (i) labour in the National Health Service, (ii) health and safety in the work place and (iii) individual health, well-being and work. This programme aims at maintaining and enhancing the research links and synergies between CELMR, Health Economics Research Unit (HERU: www.abdn.ac.uk/heru/) and the Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE: www.econ.ed.ac.uk/sire/).

Wage Determination

The systems of wage setting and the resulting wage structures affect economic performance. They constitute the incentive mechanism encouraging production and the vehicle whereby the benefits from work are distributed. Trade unions play a significant role in this process. In the public sector, in which much of the work already undertaken has been focused, the absence of market forces and the intervention of the state and its various agencies act to produce quite difference wage outcomes from those observed in the private sector.

Publications

Recent publications

Research Projects

The centre is involved in the following international projects:

Current

• HEALTHatWORK
  

Completed

• CAP-IRE
• TERA
• AQCESS
• EPICURUS
• SOCIOLD
• Retention I/II (University of Aberdeen)
• Public Pay (ESRC)
• NHS Scotland(Scottish Executive)
• LoWer(EU 4F)
• Dynamics of Low Pay (Leverhulme)

• TOPMARD