according to the ISCO88 classification. We were also able to derive an approximation to the ISCO
skill classification from the country-specific occupational codes used in Britain, the Netherlands, and
the Philippines. This left us with skill data for 20 of our 24 countries; we have had to omit the other
four (Estonia, Italy, Sweden and Japan) when estimating models involving skill.10
In addition to the foregoing reasonably objective economic variables, we will make use of a
subjective economic variable, namely the stated willingness of people to move from one location to
another in orderto improve their standard ofliving ortheirwork environment. Respondents were
asked: “If you could improve your work or living conditions, how willing or unwilling would you be
to move to another neighbourhood or village; another town or city within this county or region;
another county or region; outside [named country]; outside [named continent]?” Based on the
responses to these questions, we derived two binary variables, indicating whether or not individuals
were nationally mobile, and internationally mobile.11 Arguably, those willing to relocate within the
country should be more sanguine about the dislocation implied by free trade than those who are
immobile. The rationale behind including the international mobility variable is to test Rodrik’s (1997)
argument that globalization is currently favoring internationally mobile factors of production (i.e.
physical and human capital) over immobile factors such as unskilled labor.12 By the same token, we
also make use of a question which asks whether the respondent had ever lived abroad, on the basis
that previous experience ofliving abroad may provide a signal regarding willingness to move again.
The ISSP national identity data set includes a wide range of indicators of nationalist attitudes.
Rather than focusing onjust one or two of these as indicators of what is, after all, a complex
phenomenon, the approach taken here is to seek to identify an underlying dimension (or dimensions)
10 We checked whether our results are dependent on our recoding schemes, by running separate
regressions for our 12 ISCO88 countries, and the other 8 countries for which we were able to obtain
skill data. The results (available on request) were reassuringly similar.
11 Details available on request.
12 Although immigration to the US, for example, has become increasingly unskilled in recent decades
(Borjas 1999).
10