Skip to main content

Advertisement

Log in

Turkish Clothing in Amsterdam: The Rise and Fall of a Perfectly Competitive Labour Market

  • Published:
De Economist Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While the Dutch textile industry declined rapidly, Turkish entrepreneurs created a growing industry for fashion goods with highly flexible demand in an informal sector that was initially tolerated by the authorities and attracted many undocumented immigrants. It led to the unusual spectacle of a labour market visibly in perfect competition; predictions of that model are clearly supported. Crackdown of the authorities led to the demise of the sector: production, capital, and labour all proved internationally mobile.

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

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Basevi, G. and A. Tarozzi (1997), Controlling Migration — Legal and Illegal — through Fiscal Policy, Paper presented at the CEPR Conference 'European Migration: What do we Know?', München, November 14/15, 1997.

  • BEA (Bureau voor Economische Argumentatie) (1992), Illegale confectie ateliers. Een geïntegreerde bestrijding. Opgesteld in opdracht van Vakraad voor Confectie Industrie, Werkgroep bestrijding illegale confectie ateliers, Hoofddorp.

  • Blaschke, J. et al. (1990), European Trends in Ethnic Business, in: R. Waldinger et al. (eds.), Ethnic Entrepreneurs. Immigrant Business in Industrial Societies, California: SAGE publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bloeme, L. and R.C. Van Geuns (1987), Ongeregeld ondernemen. Een onderzoek naar informele bedrijvigheid, Den Haag: Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boissevain, J. et al. (1990), Ethnic Entrepreneurs and Ethnic Strategies, in: R. Waldinger et al. (eds.), Ethnic Entrepreneurs. Immigrant Business and Industrial Societies, California: SAGE publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bond, E.W. and T.J. Chen (1987), The Welfare Effect of Illegal Immigration, Journal of International Economics, 23, pp. 315-328.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borjas, G.J. (1994), The Economics of Immigration, Journal of Economic Literature, 32(4), pp. 1667-1717.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowles and Gintis (1976), The Problem with Human Capital Economic Theory, a Marxian Critique, American Economic Review, 65, pp. 74-82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brouwer et al. (1992), Segmentatie op de Arbeidsmarkt; beloning en baanduur, Stichting voor Economisch Onderzoek, Universiteit van Amsterdam.

  • Bureau voor Strategisch Minderhedenbeleid Gemeente Amsterdam B (1996), Jaarbericht 1996. Ethnische groepen in Amsterdam, O&S; Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Castells, M. and A. Portes (1989), World Underneath: The Origins, Dynamics and Effects of the Informal Economy, in: A. Portes, M. Castells and L. Benton (eds.), The informal economy, Baltimore and London: Johns Hopkins University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • CBS (Central Bureau of Statistics) (1959, 1967), Confectienijverheid.

  • CBS (1969–1993), Tijdreeksen Arbeidsrekeningen.

  • CBS (1996), Allochtonen in Nederland, 's-Gravenhage.

  • Collins, W.J., K. O'Rourke, and J. Williamson (1997), Were Trade and Factor Mobility Substitutes in History?, London: CEPR Discussion Paper 1661.

  • Dickens, W.T. and K. Lang (1985), A Test of Dual Labor Market Theory, American Economic Review, 75, pp. 192-805.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ethier, W.J. (1986), Illegal-Immigration: The Host Country Problem, American Economic Review, 76,1, pp. 56-71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Geuns, R. van and P. Diepen (1994), Illegale arbeid in the confectie, Werkdocument: Regioplan Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, D.M., R. Edwards and M. Reich (1982), Segmented Work, Divided Workers, the Historical Transformation of Labor in the United States, Cambridge University Press.

  • Granovetter, M. (1990), The Sociological and Economic Approaches to Labor Market Analysis: a Social Structural View, in: G. Farkos and P. England (eds.), Industries, Firms and Jobs: Sociological and Economic Approaches, New York/London: Plenum Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hartog, J. and N. Vriend (1989), Postwar Labor Mobility: the Netherlands, in: A.P. Thirlwall, (ed.), European Factor Mobility: Trends and Consequences, London, Macmillan, pp. 74-94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jung, Y.H., A. Snow and G.A. Trandel (1994), Tax Evasion and the Size of the Underground Economy, Journal of Public Economics, 54, pp. 391-402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kee, P. (1993), The Economic Status of Male Immigrants in the Netherlands, PhD thesis. Universiteit van Amsterdam.

  • Kloosterman, R., J. van der Leun, and R. Rath (1997), Over grenzen. Immigranten en de informele economie, Amsterdam: IMES.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krugman, P.R. and M. Obstfeld (1994), International Economics, third edition, New York: Harper Collins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mitter, S. (1986), Industrial Restructuring and Manufacturing Homework: Immigrant Women in the UK Clothing Industry, Capital and Class, 27, pp. 37-80.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morokvasic, M. (1987), Immigrants in Parisian garment industry, Work, Employment and Society, 1,(4), pp. 441-462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morokvasic, M., A. Phizacklea and H. Rudolph (1986), Small Firms and Minority Groups: Contradictory Trends in the French, German and British Clothing Industries, International Sociology, 1,(4), pp. 397-419.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olgun, A. (1993), Uitbuiting en vernedering in Nederland, Nieuwe Revue, 9 Mei 1993.

  • Pessar, P.R. (1994), Sweatshop Workers and Domestic Ideologies: Dominican Women in New York's Apparel Industry, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 18,(1), pp. 127-142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A. and S. Sassen-Koob (1987), Making it Underground: Comparative Material on the Informal Sector in the Western Market Economies, American Journal of Sociology, 93,(1), pp. 30-61.

    Google Scholar 

  • Portes, A. and J. Sensenbrenner (1993), Embeddedness and Migration: Notes on the Social Determinants of Economic Action, American Journal of Sociology, 98,(6), pp. 1320-1350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Praag, C.M. van (1996), Determinants of Successful Entrepreneurship, PhD thesis, Tinbergen Institute Amsterdam.

  • Ram, M. (1993), Workplace Relations in Ethnic Minority Firms: Asians in the West Midlands Clothing Industry, New Community, 19,(4), pp. 567-580.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, M.S., D.M. Gordon and R.C. Edwards (1973), Dual Labor Markets. A Theory of Labor Market Segmentation, American Economic Review: Papers and Proceedings, 63, pp. 359-365.

    Google Scholar 

  • Regioplan (1993a), Thuiswerk in de confectie, Opgesteld in opdracht van VCI. Amsterdam: Regioplan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Regioplan (1993b), Flexibele arbeid in de confectie-industrie, Opgesteld in opdracht van VCI. Amsterdam: Regioplan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheffer, M. (1992), Trading Places: Fashion, Retailers and the Changing Geography of Clothing Production, Utrecht: Netherlands Geographical Studies 150; Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Utrecht University.

  • Socrates/Stichting Opstand (1993), De zwarte draad: De confectie branche, op zoek naar onbetaalde arbeid, Serie documenten, 3.

  • Spence, M. (1973), Job Market Signaling, Quarterly Journal of Economics, 87, pp. 355-374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tap, L.J. (1983), Het Turkse bedrijfseven in Amsterdam. Eerste rapport naar aanleiding van een afstudeeronderzoek, Groningen: Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Interfaculteit Bedrijfskunde.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taubman, P. and M.L. Wachter (1986), Segmented Labour Markets, in O.C. Ashenfelter and P.R.G. Layard (eds.), Handbook of Labor Economics, 2, pp. 1183-1217. North Holland: Amsterdam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R., H. Aldrich, R. Ward and Associates (1990), Ethnic Entrepreneurs. Immigrant Business in Industrial Societies, London: Sage Series on Race and Ethnic Relations, 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waldinger, R. and M. Lapp (1993), Back to the Sweatshop or Ahead to the Informal Sector, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 1, pp. 6-29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, H. (1985), Tax Evasion and Labour Markets, Journal of Public Economics, 83, pp. 231-246.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zeldenrust, I. and J. van Eijk (1992), Op zoek naar schone kleren. Strategieën voor het verbeteren Multinationale Ondernemingen (SOMO) van de arbeidssituatie in de confectie-industrie. Amsterdam: Stichting onderzoek.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zimmermann, K.F. (1995), Tackling the European Migration Problem, Journal of Economic Perspectives, 9(2), pp. 45-62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zorlu, A. (1998), Goedkope arbeid als wondermiddel? De rekrutering van personeel in de Turkse confectie-industrie in Amsterdam, in: J. Rath and R. Kloosterman (eds.), Rijp & Groen: Het zelfstandig ondernemerschap van immigranten in Nederland. Amsterdam: Het Spinhuis.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hartog, J., Zorlu, A. Turkish Clothing in Amsterdam: The Rise and Fall of a Perfectly Competitive Labour Market. De Economist 147, 151–181 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003686616809

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1003686616809

Keywords

Navigation