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The Role of Borders, Languages, and Currencies as Obstacles to Labor Market Integration

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  • Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola
  • Bartz, Kevin

Abstract

Based on a modified Spatiotemporal Autoregressive Model (STAR), we analyze whether borders still constitute significant impediments to labor market integration in the European Union, despite the formal law of free movement of labor. Using regional data from the EU-15 countries over 21 years, we find that this is the case. We further investigate whether the abolishment of border checks through the Schengen agreement or the introduction of the Euro improved our measure of labor market integration across borders, and do not find evidence in favor. Last, we investigate the role of languages, and potentially cultures, as obstacles to labor market integration. We find that indeed language borders play a larger role than country borders in explaining the lack of labor market integration across borders.

Suggested Citation

  • Fuchs-Schündeln, Nicola & Bartz, Kevin, 2012. "The Role of Borders, Languages, and Currencies as Obstacles to Labor Market Integration," CEPR Discussion Papers 8987, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
  • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:8987
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    4. Mark D. Partridge & Dan S. Rickman & M. Rose Olfert & Ying Tan, 2015. "When Spatial Equilibrium Fails: Is Place-Based Policy Second Best?," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 49(8), pages 1303-1325, August.
    5. Aparicio Fenoll, Ainoa & Kuehn, Zoë, 2016. "Education Policies and Migration across European Countries," IZA Discussion Papers 9755, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Fidrmuc, Jan, 2015. "Political economy of fiscal unions," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 40(PA), pages 147-157.
    7. Hart, Janine & Clemens, Marius, 2019. "A search and matching approach to business-cycle migration in the euro area," VfS Annual Conference 2019 (Leipzig): 30 Years after the Fall of the Berlin Wall - Democracy and Market Economy 203659, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    8. Jason Poulos & Andrea Albanese & Andrea Mercatanti & Fan Li, 2021. "Retrospective causal inference via matrix completion, with an evaluation of the effect of European integration on cross-border employment," LISER Working Paper Series 2021-07, Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER).
    9. Angela Parenti & Cristina Tealdi, 2017. "Does the abolition of border controls boost cross-border commuting? Evidence from Switzerland," Discussion Papers 2017/213, Dipartimento di Economia e Management (DEM), University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy.
    10. Protte, Benjamin, 2012. "How does Economic Integration Change Personal Income Taxation? Evidence from a new Index of Potential Labor Mobility," Working Papers 12-20, University of Mannheim, Department of Economics.
    11. Wassmann, Pia, 2016. "Do Open Borders Tempt a Saint? Evidence from Schengen on Crime Rates in German Border Regions," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145878, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    12. Bofinger, Peter & Buch, Claudia M. & Feld, Lars P. & Schmidt, Christoph M. & Wieland, Volker, 2013. "Gegen eine rückwärtsgewandte Wirtschaftspolitik. Jahresgutachten 2013/14 [Against a backward-looking economic policy. Annual Report 2013/14]," Annual Economic Reports / Jahresgutachten, German Council of Economic Experts / Sachverständigenrat zur Begutachtung der gesamtwirtschaftlichen Entwicklung, volume 127, number 201314.
    13. Peeters, Thomas & van Ours, Jan C., 2022. "International Assortative Matching in the European Labor Market," IZA Discussion Papers 15521, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Castelli, Chiara & Parenti, Angela, 2020. "Commuting in Europe: An Inter-regional Analysis on its Determinants and Spatial Effects," 2030 Agenda 307985, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM).
    15. Parenti, Angela & Tealdi, Cristina, 2019. "Does the Implementation of the Schengen Agreement Boost Cross-Border Commuting? Evidence from Switzerland," IZA Discussion Papers 12754, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    16. Damiaan Persyn & Wouter Torfs, 2013. "A gravity equation for commuting - with an application to estimating regional and language border effects in Belgium," ERSA conference papers ersa13p599, European Regional Science Association.
    17. Zhao, Da & Yu, Ao & Guo, Jingyuan, 2022. "Judicial institutions, local protection and market segmentation: Evidence from the establishment of interprovincial circuit tribunals in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Pia Wassmann, 2016. "Do open borders tempt a saint? Evidence from Schengen on crime rates in German border regions," ERSA conference papers ersa16p539, European Regional Science Association.
    19. Vandyck, Toon & Rutherford, Thomas F., 2018. "Regional labor markets, commuting, and the economic impact of road pricing," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 217-236.
    20. Smets, Frank & Beyer, Robert C. M., 2015. "Labour market adjustments in Europe and the US: How different?," Working Paper Series 1767, European Central Bank.
    21. Marianna Oliskevych & Iryna Lukianenko, 2017. "Structural Change and Labor Market Integration: Evidence from Ukraine," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(3), pages 501-509.
    22. Konara, Palitha, 2020. "The role of language connectedness in reducing home bias in trade, investment, information, and people flows," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    23. Henrik Basche, 2021. "Exploring Determinants of ‘Mental Distance’ in Cross‐Border Contexts," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 112(3), pages 288-303, July.
    24. Rémi Odry, 2020. "Academic Convergence and Migration: the effect of the BolognaProcess on European Mobility," EconomiX Working Papers 2020-24, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor market integration; European integration; Spatial econometrics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C4 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: Special Topics
    • J4 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets
    • J6 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers

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