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Technological and organizational changes as determinants of the skill bias: evidence from the Italian machinery industry

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  • Mariacristina Piva

    (Department of Economic and Social Sciences, Catholic University, Piacenza, Italy)

  • Enrico Santarelli
  • Marco Vivarelli

Abstract

Recent empirical literature has introduced the 'Skill Biased Organizational Change' (SBOC) hypothesis, according to which organizational change can be considered as one of the main causes of the skill bias (increase in the number of highly skilled workers) exhibited by manufacturing employment in developed countries. This paper focuses on the importance of the SBOC with respect to the more traditional 'Skill Biased Technological Change' in driving the skill composition of workers in the Italian machinery sector. A dynamic panel data analysis is proposed which uses a unique firm-level dataset. The results show that both skilled and unskilled workers are negatively affected by technological change, while organizational change-which in turn may be linked to new technologies-is positively linked to skilled workers. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • Mariacristina Piva & Enrico Santarelli & Marco Vivarelli, 2006. "Technological and organizational changes as determinants of the skill bias: evidence from the Italian machinery industry," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 63-73.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:mgtdec:v:27:y:2006:i:1:p:63-73
    DOI: 10.1002/mde.1246
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    Cited by:

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    3. Cristiano Antonelli & Francesco Quatraro, 2014. "The effects of biased technological changes on total factor productivity: a rejoinder and new empirical evidence," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 281-299, April.
    4. Cristiano Antonelli & Giuseppe Scellato, 2015. "Firms size and directed technological change," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 44(1), pages 207-218, January.
    5. Antonioli, Davide & Manzalini, Rocco & Pini, Paolo, 2011. "Innovation, workers skills and industrial relations: Empirical evidence from firm-level Italian data," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 40(3), pages 312-326, May.
    6. Nanditha Mathew & George Paily, 2022. "STI-DUI innovation modes and firm performance in the Indian capital goods industry: Do small firms differ from large ones?," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 47(2), pages 435-458, April.
    7. Marco Vivarelli, 2013. "Technology, Employment and Skills: An Interpretative Framework," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(1), pages 66-89, June.
    8. Vivarelli, Marco, 2012. "Innovation, Employment and Skills in Advanced and Developing Countries: A Survey of the Literature," IZA Discussion Papers 6291, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Borrás , Susana & Edquist , Charles, 2013. "Competence Building: A Systemic Approach to Innovation Policy," Papers in Innovation Studies 2013/28, Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research.
    10. Antonelli, Cristiano & Scellato, Giuseppe, 2009. "The Localized Introduction Of Biased Technological Change And Productivity Growth. The Empirical Evidence In The Italian Manufacturing Industry," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis LEI & BRICK - Laboratory of Economics of Innovation "Franco Momigliano", Bureau of Research in Innovation, Complexity and Knowledge, Collegio 200908, University of Turin.

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