Does anyone out there know if any cross-country studies have been made of the correlations or lack of them between levels of real wages and benefits <at PPP>, and levels of unemployment? I doubt if there is a correlation, but has anything of interest been observed in this matter-- we hear so much from the right about the need to keep wage levels "competitive" and reduce "costs". This seems to have been a big issue in the French presidential elections. Well, what are the facts? It also ties in to the discussion on this list about what kind of challenge "globalization" represents for the left. Doug Henwood may have said something about this in a recent post, but I mislaid it--sorry if this is asking for the same info. Peter Burns SJ [EMAIL PROTECTED]