Advances in the Theory and Measurement of Unemployment

Advances in the Theory and Measurement of Unemployment
Author: Yoram Weiss
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 350
Release: 1989-06-18
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1349106887

A collection of papers which analyzes and measures unemployment as a search activity, discusses efficiency wage models and which considers the impact of government and unions on employment and unemployment.

High Wage Workers and High Wage Firms

High Wage Workers and High Wage Firms
Author: John M. Abowd
Publisher: Université de Montréal, Centre de recherche et développement en économique
Total Pages: 94
Release: 1994
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

We study a longitudinal sample of over one million French workers and over 500,000 employing firms. Real total annual compensation per worker is decomposed into components related to observable characteristics, worker heterogeneity, firm heterogeneity and residual variation. Except for the residual, all components may be correlated in an arbitrary fashion. At the level of the individual, we find that person-effects, especially those not related to observables like education, are the most important source of wage variation in France. Firm-effects, while important, are not as important as person-effects. At the level of firms, we find that enterprises that hire high-wage workers are more productive but not more profitable. They are also more capital and high-skilled employee intensive. Enterprises that pay higher wages, controlling for person-effects, are more productive and more profitable. They are also more capital intensive but are not more high-skilled labor intensive. We also find that person-effects explain 92% of inter-industry wage differentials.

Efficiency Wage Models of the Labor Market

Efficiency Wage Models of the Labor Market
Author: George A. Akerlof
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 196
Release: 1986-11-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780521312844

The contributors explore the reasons why involuntary unemployment happens when supply equals demand.

Studies in Labor Markets

Studies in Labor Markets
Author: Sherwin Rosen
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 408
Release: 2007-12-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0226726304

The papers in this volume present an excellent sampling of the best of current research in labor economics, combining the most sophisticated theory and econometric methods with high-quality data on a variety of problems. Originally presented at a Universities-National Bureau Committee for Economic Research conference on labor markets in 1978, and not published elsewhere, the thirteen papers treat four interrelated themes: labor mobility, job turnover, and life-cycle dynamics; the analysis of unemployment compensation and employment policy; labor market discrimination; and labor market information and investment. The Introduction by Sherwin Rosen provides a thoughtful guide to the contents of the papers and offers suggestions for continuing research.

Persistent Inequalities

Persistent Inequalities
Author: Howard Botwinick
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2017-11-20
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 9004269592

Economists generally assume that wage differentials among similar workers will only endure when competition in the capital and/or labor market is restricted. In contrast, Howard Botwinick uses a classical Marxist analysis of real capitalist competition to show that substantial patterns of wage disparity can persist despite high levels of competition. Indeed, the author provocatively argues that competition and technical change often militate against wage equalization. In addition to providing the basis for a more unified analysis of race and gender inequality within labor markets, Botwinick’s work has important implications for contemporary union strategies. Going against mainstream proponents of labor-management cooperation, the author calls for militant union organization that can once again take wages and working conditions out of capitalist competition. This revised edition was originally published under the same title in 1993 by Princeton University Press.

Wage Dispersion

Wage Dispersion
Author: Dale Mortensen
Publisher: MIT Press
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2003
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9780262633192

A theoretical and empirical examination of wage differentials findsthat traditional theories of competition do not explain why workers with identical skills are paid differently.