Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe - Volume 13, issue 3

Authors: Glaude, Michel

Article Type: Editorial

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13301

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 193-194, 1996

Authors: Harala, Riitta | Vihavainen, Hilkka

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The debate underlining the intergenerational distribution and inheritance is rather new in Finland. It has mostly taken place during the past few years. It started with the recession and the high unemployment figures in the early nineties and it has been marked by an expression of concern by the younger generations about the sums they are going to have to pay. Young people are afraid that ever smaller age groups and precisely those currently contending with high unemployment, will be left with the burden not only of paying for the pensions of the large age groups but also of coping …with public dept of record proportions. The current debate has also payed much attention to the impacts of the recession to social mobility and the inheritance of socio-economic status and education. There has been quite widespread concern over the prospect of Finland relapsing into class society where positions are inherited and where upward mobility is increasingly difficult. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13302

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 195-211, 1996

Authors: Gilomen, Heinz

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The last 30 years have seen a steady quantitative development in Swiss education, first of vocational education and later of general education at upper secondary and higher level. At first glance, this seems to indicate that the call for ‘equal start’ opportunities has been increasingly answered. Against the backdrop of this apparent democratization of access to education, we highlight several problem areas. First, we investigate to what extent educational qualifications continue to determine social standing, illustrating the links between level of education on the one hand, and material circumstances, professional-cum-hierarchical status as well as social, cultural and political participation …on the other. In the second part, the question is raised to what extent the (in some cases highly selective) entry conditions to specific – and above all higher – avenues of education relativize equal start opportunities, thereby reproducing social inequality. Are there specific social groups which are privileged or underprivileged, and can these differences be explained in terms of the classic approaches of social and regional origin, nationality or gender? Finally we investigate, to what extent further training and adult education are strategies to compensate the selection mechanisms in initial education. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13303

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 213-232, 1996

Authors: Sarossy, George

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Highly developed societies are characterised by a growing share of services and a diminishing share of production of goods in their economies. This rapidly changing structural transformation is in turn resulting in substantial intergenerational and intragenerational social mobility as opportunities arise in emerging industries and new occupations. The paper postulates that skill level will increasingly determine social status in a post industrial society. The paper traces some of the thinking behind the development of the 1986 Australian Standard Classification of Occupations which utilises skill level as its primary classificatory variable and demonstrates the usefulness of the classification in tracking labour …market changes over the last decade. The paper concludes by outlining some of the modifications made to the classification in the light of its utilisation over the last decade which has led to a revised occupation classification coming into effect in May 1996. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13304

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 233-253, 1996

Authors: Baldacci, Emanuele | Lugaresi, Sergio

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The Italian demographic evolution shows a significant ageing of the population due to declining fertility levels and increasing life expectancy. In comparison with other European Union countries, Italy has the lowest total fertility rate and very low levels of higher education and young-age employment rates. The consequences of these sociodemographic trends will be a very high proportion of dependent population relative to the population in the labour force. These trends are supposed to influence the future evolution of the age-related expenditures: pensions, health care and education. In this paper we try to forecast the share of social expenditure on GDP …using a dynamic simulation model which takes into account both macroeconomic and sociodemographic interrelationships. A multi state demographic projection model is linked to an overlapping generation model describing the macroeconomic equilibrium. The results show that around 2030 there will be a peak in the social expenditure ratio causing the need for further reforms in the social security and health care system. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13305

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 255-273, 1996

Authors: Goux, Dominique | Maurin, Eric

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: Our study focuses on the links between social origins, educational attainments, and social destinations in France. We use data from the four latest surveys on Education and Qualifications (Enquêtes sur la Formation et la Qualification Professionnelle) for 1970, 1977, 1985 and 1993. Our main findings are the following: – The inequalities in social destinations among persons with identical educational attainments but of different social backgrounds are as wide as inequalities in the school system. – The pattern of social mobility has remained virtually unchanged for the past half century.

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13306

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 275-292, 1996

Authors: Rose, David

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: The UK has two official socio-economic classifications (SECs), Social Class based on Occupations (SC) and Socio-economic Groups (SEG). Each is based on different principles and conceptions and there is no straightforward mapping between them (see [61]). Given this fact, and given also that the two schemes have remained largely unaltered for decades while society itself has changed rapidly, the Census Division of the former UK Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS, but now Office for National Statistics, ONS) requested the UK Economic and Social Research Council to undertake a zero-based review of SC and SEG. Were official SECs still …necessary? If so, might it be that two occupationally-based SECs could be one too many? And could anything be done to counter the fact that occupationally-based classifications ignore the 40% of the population who are not in paid employment? This paper summarises the key conclusions of the Review to date. Part I relates the history and characteristics of Social Class based on Occupations and, more briefly, of Socio-economic Groups. Part 2 outlines the principal conclusions and recommendations of the Review to date. Parts 3 and 4 discuss the conceptual basis of a proposed revision to the current SECs and Part 5 indicates a range of other concerns relevant to the revision of social classifications. Show more

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13307

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 293-317, 1996

Article Type: Other

DOI: 10.3233/SJU-1996-13308

Citation: Statistical Journal of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 319-320, 1996