Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

New Technologies, Employment and Labour Markets in Developing Countries

  • Chapter
Book cover Globalization, Information Technology and Development

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the impact of new technologies — especially, but not entirely, those that are related to microelectronics — on employment and labour markets in developing countries. Taking the form of a literature survey it looks at those impacts that have already occurred as well as effects that seem likely to occur in the future. Both sets of issues are addressed within an analytical framework that views the impact of technical change as the end result of a process which begins with the generation and proceeds via the diffusion of new technologies. The need for so broad an approach is shown to stem from the multiplicity of ways in which the generation and diffusion of new technologies influence each other and condition the ultimate impact of these technologies on employment and labour markets. Because many such mechanisms have not yet received much attention in the literature, there appears to be substantial scope for further research.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • I. Ahmed (1992) Biotechnology: A Hope or a Threat? Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Alcorta (1992) ‘The Impact of New Technologies on Scale in Manufacturing Industry’, Working Paper No. 5. Maastricht: United Nations University Centre for New Technologies.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Bagguley, J. Mark-Lawson, D. Shapiro, J. Urry, S. Welby, and A. Warde (1990) Restructuring: Place, Class and Gender. London: Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Best (1990) The New Competition: Institutions of Industrial Restructuring. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Bhalla and D. James (eds) (1988) New Technologies and Development: Some Experiences in Technology Blending. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Bhalla, D. James and Y. Stevens (1984) Blending of New and Traditional Technologies: Case Studies. Dublin: Tycooly International.

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Biggs (1990) ‘A Multiple Source of Innovation Model of Agricultural Research and Technology’, World Development 18 (11): 1841–99.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. Binswanger, and V. Ruttan (1978) Induced Innovation. Baltimore, MA: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Blackburn, and D. Bloom (1988) ‘The Effects of Technological Change on Earnings and Income Inequality in the United States’, in R. Cyert and D. Mowery (eds) The Impact of Technological Change on Employment and Economic Growth, pp. 223–63. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Blazejczak (1990) ‘Perspectives for Macro-Economic Development at Different Rates of Innovative Activity’, in R. Schettkat and M. Wagner (eds) Technological Change and Employment: Innovation in the German Economy, pp. 345–62. Berlin: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Bosworth (ed.) (1983) The Employment Consequences of Technological Change. London: Macmillian.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Castells and L. Tyson (1988) ‘High Technology Choices Ahead: Restructuring Interdependence’, in J. Sewell, R. Feinberg and V. Kallab (eds) Growth, Exports and Jobs in a Changing World Economy, pp. 55–95. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Caves (1982) Multinational Enterprise and Economic Analysis. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Chadee, and J. Guthrie (1991) ‘Biotechnology in U.S. Agriculture: Trade Consequences for Dairy Products’, Journal of Policy Modelling 13 (2): 241–58.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • F. Chesnais (1988) ‘Multinational Enterprise and the International Diffusion of Technology’, in G. Dosi, C. Freeman, R. Nelson, G. Silverberg and L. Soete (eds) Technical Change and Economic Theory, pp. 496–527. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Dahlman, B. Ross-Larson, and L. Westphal (1985) Managing Technological Development, World Bank Staff Working Paper, No. 718. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Daniel (1987) Workplace Industrial Relations and Technical Change. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Dominguez-Villalobos (1988) ‘Microelectronics-based Innovations and Employment in Mexican Industries’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 183. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Edquist (1992) ‘Technological and Organisational Innovations, Productivity and Employment’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 233. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Edquist, and S. Jacobsson (1988) Flexible Automation. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Evans, and P. Tigre (1989) ‘Going Beyond Clones in Brazil and Korea: A Comparative Analysis of NIC Strategies in the Computer Industry’, World Development 17 (11): 1751–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • H. Ewers, C. Becker, and M. Fritsch (1990) ‘The Effects of the Use of Computer-Aided Technology in Industrial Enterprises. It’s the Context that Counts’, in R. Schettkat and M. Wagner (eds) Technological Change and Employment: Innovation in the German Economy, pp. 25–63. Berlin: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Flamm (1988) ‘The Changing Pattern of Industrial Robot Use’, in R. Cyert and D. Mowery (eds) The Impact of Technological Change on Employment and Economic Growth, pp. 267–328. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Fleury (1988) ‘The Impacts of Microelectronics on Employment and Income in the Brazilian Metal-Engineering Industry’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 188. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Francis (1986) New Technology at Work. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Fransman (1986) ‘International Competitiveness, Technical Change and the State: The Machine Tool Industry in Taiwan and Japan’, World Development 14 (12): 1375–96.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Fransman (1991) ‘Biotechnology-Generation, Diffusion and Policy: An Interpretive Survey’, Working Paper 1. Maastricht: United Nations University Centre for New Technologies.

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Freeman (1987) ‘Information Technology and Change in Techno-Economic Paradigm’, in C. Freeman and L. Soete (eds) Technical Change and Full Employment, pp. 49–69. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • C. Freeman, and L. Soete (eds) (1987) Technical Change and Full Employment. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Grieco (1984) Between Dependency and Autonomy, India’s Experience with the International Computer Industry. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Hagedoorn, and J. Schakenraad (1990) ‘Inter-Firm Partnerships and Co-operative Strategies in Core Technologies’, in C. Freeman and L. Soete (eds) New Explorations in the Economics of Technical Change, pp. 3–37. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Henderson (1989) The Globalisation of High Technology Production. London: Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • T. R. Hewitt (1988) ‘Employment and Skills in the Electronics Industry: The Case of Brazil’, unpublished Ph.D. dissertation. University of Sussex.

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Hoffman, and H. Rush (1988) Microelectronics and Clothing: The Impact of Technical Change on a Global Industry. New York: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • ILO (1992) Employment and Working Conditions and Competitiveness in the Leather and Footwear Industry, Report I I. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. James (1985) ‘The Employment and Income Distributional Impact of Microelectronics: A Prospective Analysis for the Third World’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 153. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. James (1991) ‘Microelectronics and the Third World: An Integrative Survey of Literature’, Working Paper No. 2. Maastricht: United Nations University Centre for New Technologies.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. James and A. Bhalla (1991) ‘Microelectronics, Flexible Specialisation and Small-Scale Industrialisation in the Third World’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 220. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Kaplinsky (1987) Micro-electronics and Change at Work. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Kaplinsky (1990) The Economies of Small. London: IT Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Y. Katsoulacos (1986) The Employment Effect of Technical Change. Hemel Hempstead: Harvester Wheatsheaf.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Kugler, U. Müller, and G. Sheldon (1990) ‘The Labor Market Effects of New Technologies: An Econometric Study for the Federal Republic of Germany’, in R. Schettkat and M. Wagner (eds) Technological Change and Employment: Innovation in The German Economy, pp. 191–214. Berlin: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • W. Labys (1990) ‘Potential Employment Effects of Substituting Fibre Optic Cable for Copper Wire’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 208. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Lee, and E. Tank (1989) ‘The Socioeconomic Impact of Agricultural Biotechnology on Less Developed Countries’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 199. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Malaman (1990) ‘Innovation in Advanced Materials: Technological Opportunities, Innovative Processes, Effects on the Industrial Structure’, in B. Dankbaar, J. Groenewegen and H. Schenk (eds) Perspectives in Industrial Organization, pp. 151–70. Dordrecht: Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • P. Marstrand (ed.) (1984) New Technology and the Future of Work and Skills. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Maxwell (1983) ‘Specialisation Decisions in Electronic Production: Lessons from the Experience of Two Argentine Firms’, in S. Jacobsson and J. Sigurdson (eds) Technological Trends and Challenges, pp. 227–47. Lund: Lund University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Meijers, and A. van Zon (1991) ‘A Reformulation of the Hermes Vintage Production Structure’, MERIT Working Paper 91–016. Maastricht: Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Mody (1989) ‘Strategies for Developing Information Industries’, The European Journal of Development Research 1 (1): 38–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A. Mody (1990) ‘Learning Through Alliances’, Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Mody, and Wheeler, D. (1990) Automation and World Competition. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Mowery (1988) ‘The Diffusion of New Manufacturing Technologies’, in R. Cyert and D. Mowery (eds) The Impact of Technological Change on Employment and Economic Growth, pp. 481–511. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. O’Connor (1989) ‘Microelectronics-based Innovations: Strategic Implications for Selected Industries in the Second Tier Newly Industrializing Countries of Southeast Asia’. Paris: OECD Development Centre.

    Google Scholar 

  • F. C. Onn (1989) ‘Employment and Income Implications of Micro-Electronic Industrial Machinery in ASEAN: The Case of Malaysia/Singapore’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 202. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Pack (1987) Productivity, Technology and Industrial Development. New York: Oxford University Press, for the World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Pack, and L. Westphal (1986) ‘Industrial Strategy and Technological Change: Theory versus Reality’, Journal of Development Economics 22 (1): 87–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Pennings, and A. Buitendam (1987) New Technology as Organizational Innovation. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Rajan (1990) ‘Information Technology in the Finance Sector: An International Perspective’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 210. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • A.S. Prasada Reddy (1991) ‘Emerging Patterns of Internationalization of R&D-Opportunities for Developing Countries’, mimeo, Lund University.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Roldan (1991) ‘JIT (Just in Time) Technological Innovations, Industrial Restructuring and Gender Relations’. Paper presented at International Workshop on Women Organizing in the Process of Industrialization, Institute of Social Studies, The Hague (April).

    Google Scholar 

  • G. Ruivenkamp (1989) ‘Biotechnology Applications in the Vegetable Oil Industry: Structural Changes, International Division of Labour and the Small Producer’, World Employment Programme Research, Working Paper No. 204. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Schettkat, and M. Wagner (eds) (1990) Technological Change and Employment. Berlin: de Gruyter.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Schmitz and R. Carvalho (1987) ‘Automation and Labour in the Brazilian Car Industry’, IDS Discussion Paper No. 239. Brighton: IDS, University of Sussex.

    Google Scholar 

  • H. Singer (1990) Research of the World Employment Programme: Future Priorities and Selective Assessment. Geneva: ILO.

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Soete (1987) ‘The Newly Emerging Information Technology Sector’, in C. Freeman and L. Soete (eds) Technical Change and Full Employment, pp. 189–221. Oxford: Blackwell.

    Google Scholar 

  • K. Spenner (1988) ‘Technological Change, Skill Requirements and Education: The Case for Uncertainty’, in R. Cyert and D. Mowery (eds) The Impact of Technological Change on Employment and Economic Growth, pp. 131–85. New York: Ballinger.

    Google Scholar 

  • E Stewart (ed.) (1987) Macro-Policies for Appropriate Technology. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Stewart (1989) ‘Summary of Discussions and Suggestions for Future Research’, in B. Salome (ed.) Fighting Urban Unemployment in Developing Countries, pp. 11–28. Paris: OECD.

    Google Scholar 

  • F. Stewart, and Ghani, E. (1991) ‘How Significant Are Externalities for Development?’, World Development 19 (6): 569–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Stoneman (1983) The Economic Analysis of Technical Change. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Storper, and A. Scott (1990) ‘Work Organisation and Local Labour Markets in an Era of Flexible Production’, International Labour Review 129 (5): 573–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • D. Teece (1988) ‘Technological Change and the Nature of the Firm’, in G. Dosi, C. Freeman, R. Nelson, G. Silverberg and L. Soete (eds) Technical Change and Economic Theory, pp. 256–81. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • P. Tigre (1983) Technology and Competition in the Brazilian Computer Industry. London: Pinter.

    Google Scholar 

  • L. Tyson (1988) ‘Competitiveness: An Analysis of the Problem and a Perspective on Future Policy’, in M.K. Starr (ed.) Global Competitiveness: Getting the U.S. Back on Track, pp. 95–120. New York: W.W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • S. Watanabe, (ed.) (1987) Microelectronics, Automation and Employment in the Automobile Industry. Chichester: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • O. Williamson (1975) Markets and Hierarchies. New York: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • R. de Wit (1991) ‘A Review of the Literature on Technological Change and Employment’, Background Report 2 to the Project, ‘Macro-Economic and Sectoral Analysis of Future Employment and Training Perspectives in the New Information Technologies in the European Community’. Maastricht: Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Womack, D. Jones and D. Roos (1990) The Machine that Changed the World. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • A. van Zon (1991) ‘Hermit — A Model Describing the Macro Sectoral Employment Effects of IT Production and IT Use’, MERIT Working Paper 91–017. Maastricht: Maastricht Economic Research Institute on Innovation and Technology.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tilburg University, The Netherlands

    Jeffrey James (Professor of Development Economics)

Authors
  1. Jeffrey James
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Copyright information

© 1999 Jeffrey James

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

James, J. (1999). New Technologies, Employment and Labour Markets in Developing Countries. In: Globalization, Information Technology and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230377431_8

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation