Nuria Quella Isla | SUNY: Stony Brook University (original) (raw)

Papers by Nuria Quella Isla

Social Science Research Network, Nov 3, 2008

Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published i... more Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and not those of IZA. Research published in this series may include views on policy, but the institute itself takes no institutional policy positions. The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn is a local and virtual international research center and a place of communication between science, politics and business. IZA is an independent nonprofit organization supported by Deutsche Post World Net. The center is associated with the University of Bonn and offers a stimulating research environment through its international network, workshops and conferences, data service, project support, research visits and doctoral program. IZA engages in (i) original and internationally competitive research in all fields of labor economics, (ii) development of policy concepts, and (iii) dissemination of research results and concepts to the interested public. IZA Discussion Papers often represent preliminary work and are circulated to encourage discussion. Citation of such a paper should account for its provisional character. A revised version may be available directly from the author.

2006 Meeting Papers, 2006

2011 Meeting Papers, 2011

... The model is structurally estimated using NLSY and housing price data. Keywords: Job Search, ... more ... The model is structurally estimated using NLSY and housing price data. Keywords: Job Search, Housing, Savings, Structural Estimation. JEL Classification: J64, E21, E24, R21. *Our emails: silvio.rendon@stonybrook.edu, nuria.quella@stonybrook.edu. Page 2. 2 1 Introduction ...

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Aug 1, 2009

Social Science Research Network, 2009

In multilingual labor markets agents with high proficiency in more than one language may be selec... more In multilingual labor markets agents with high proficiency in more than one language may be selected into occupations that require high levels of skill in communicating with customers or writing reports in more than one language. In this paper we measure this effect in Catalonia, where two languages, Catalan and Spanish, coexist. Using census data for 1991 and 1996, and controlling for endogeneity of Catalan knowledge, we find that proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing Catalan reinforces selection into being employed, being an entrepreneur, and into white-collar occupations and communication-intensive jobs. In particular, being able to read and speak Catalan increases selection into white collar occupations by betwen 9 and 14 percentage points, while writing Catalan increases by 6 to 13 percentage points the probability of engaging in services, and government and educational activities.

Social Science Research Network, 2013

Behind the Great Recession: Job Search and Housing Decisions * In this paper we analyze a mechani... more Behind the Great Recession: Job Search and Housing Decisions * In this paper we analyze a mechanism that is particularly relevant to the workings of the Great Recession: we explain how easier home financing and higher homeownership rates increase unemployment rates. To this purpose we build a model of job search with liquid wealth accumulation and consumption of housing that can be rented, bought on credit, or sold. In our model, more relaxed house credit conditions increase workers' reservation wages, making them more selective in their job search. More selective job searches deteriorate employment transitions: job finding and job-to-job transitions rates decline while job loss rates increase, causing the overall unemployment rate to rise. We estimate this model structurally using NLSY data from 1978 until 2005. We find that more relaxed housing lending conditions, particularly lower downpayment requirements, increase unemployment rates by 6 percent points. We also find that declining labor demand decreases homeownership rates by 14 percent points.

International Journal of Manpower, Nov 9, 2012

The Economic Impact of Immigration in Greece: Taking Stock of the Existing Evidence * Greece was ... more The Economic Impact of Immigration in Greece: Taking Stock of the Existing Evidence * Greece was traditionally an emigration country. However, since the early 1990s it became an immigrant destination and nowadays up to a tenth of the population are immigrants, mainly from neighbouring Balkan countries and, especially, Albania. This large scale immigration within a short time period had important social, as well as, economic consequences. The paper reviews the existing evidence and concludes that on average the economic effects of immigration were beneficial, although their distributional consequences were adverse. Greek immigration policy was haphazard and more efforts are needed in order to integrate the immigrants in the economic and social fabric of the country.

Resumen Se analiza si el patrón de ventajas comparativas y el desempeño reciente de las exportaci... more Resumen Se analiza si el patrón de ventajas comparativas y el desempeño reciente de las exportaciones manufactureras mexicanas, relativos a sus principales competidores, están asociados con diferenciales de productividad o con diferencias en las dotaciones de factores. La abundancia de mano de obra de niveles de calificación relativamente bajos ubica a México en mercados donde otros países con una dotación de factores similar, como China, han incursionado aceleradamente. En comparación con China y otros competidores similares, el determinante del desempeño exportador de México parecería ser el diferencial de productividades. En comparación con algunos competidores que han logrado escalar más en la cadena de valor, el desempeño relativo de México parecería también reflejar su relativamente reducida dotación de capital humano.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2014

In this paper we explain how easier home …nancing and higher homeownership rates increase unemplo... more In this paper we explain how easier home …nancing and higher homeownership rates increase unemployment rates. To this purpose we build a model of job search with liquid wealth accumulation and consumption of housing, that can be rented, bought on credit, or sold. In our model, more relaxed house credit conditions increase workers'reservation wages, making them more selective in their job search. More selective job searches deteriorate employment transitions: job …nding and job-to-job transitions rates decline while job loss rates increase, causing the overall unemployment rate to rise. We estimate this model structurally using NLSY data from 1978 until 2005. We …nd that more relaxed housing lending conditions, particularly lower downpayment requirements, increase unemployment rates by 6 percent points. We also …nd that declining labor demand decreases homeownership rates by 14 percent points.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Apr 1, 2007

In this paper I estimate unobserved labor-generated knowledge spillovers within and between six l... more In this paper I estimate unobserved labor-generated knowledge spillovers within and between six large macroeconomic sectors covering the US civilian economy from 1948 to 1991 and relate them to observed productivity changes. I construct a series of sectoral knowledge spillover matrices that show the changes in the magnitude and direction of intraand inter-sectoral spillovers for each sector. I show that the productivity slowdown in the US economy of the early seventies is associated with a decline of intra-sectoral spillovers and the emergence of inter-sectoral spillovers. This change coincides with trade taking over manufacturing as the main source and destination of new knowledge flows. The analysis of technology flows, measured as the production and use of patents, corroborates this finding. Furthermore, I also compute the gap between the market, which ignores knowledge spillovers, and the optimal allocation of labor across sectors, and the wedge between market and optimal wage rates by sector. I show that optimal employment in manufactures is 32% higher than the market allocation, and that optimal wages in the overall economy are 31% above market wages.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Feb 1, 2008

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Oct 1, 2009

In this paper I calibrate unobserved labor-generated knowledge spillovers within and between six ... more In this paper I calibrate unobserved labor-generated knowledge spillovers within and between six large macroeconomic sectors covering the U.S. civilian economy from 1948 to 1991. Using quality-adjusted data I show that manufacturing and trade & transportation are the main source of knowledge flows to the overall economy for the entire period. However, the productivity slowdown of the early seventies coincides with trade & transportation taking over manufacturing as the main source and destination of post-73 knowledge flows. Furthermore, I compute the gap between the market and the optimal allocation of labor across sectors, and the wedge between market and optimal wages by sector. I find that, for the whole period, optimal employment in manufacturing and trade & transportation is, respectively, 20% and 27% above market. As a result optimal output in these sectors is 12% and 16% higher than the market's, and optimal wages in manufacturing are 54% above market wages.

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, 2011

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015

In this paper, we investigate to what extent shocks in housing and …nancial markets account for w... more In this paper, we investigate to what extent shocks in housing and …nancial markets account for wage and employment variations in a frictional labor market. To explain these interactions, we use a model of job search with accumulation of wealth as liquid funds and residential real estate, in which house prices are randomly persistent. First, we show that reservation wages and unemployment are increasing in total wealth. And, second, we show that reservation wages and unemployment are also responsive to the composition of wealth. Speci…cally, when house prices are expected to rise, holding a larger share of wealth as residential real estate tends to increase reservation wages, which deteriorates employment transitions and increases unemployment. We estimate our model structurally using National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data from 1978 to 2005, and we …nd that more relaxed house …nancing conditions, in particular lower down payment requirements, decrease employment rates by 5 percentage points in the short run and by 2 percentage points in the long run. We also …nd that worse labor market conditions immediately increase homeownership rates by up to 5 percent points, whereas in the long run homeownership decreases by 8 percentage points.

Working Papers, Feb 1, 2008

ABSTRACT Typescript. Thesis (Ph.D.)--New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Science, 19... more ABSTRACT Typescript. Thesis (Ph.D.)--New York University, Graduate School of Arts and Science, 1995. Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 210-218)