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The Pattern And Evolution Of Geographical Wage Differentials In The Public And Private Sectors In Great Britain

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  • DAVID BELL
  • ROBERT F. ELLIOTT
  • ADA MA
  • ANTHONY SCOTT
  • ELIZABETH ROBERTS

Abstract

Government policy on the nature of wage bargaining in the public sector can have important implications for the provision of public services. Using the New Earnings Survey, the Labour Force Survey and the British Household Panel Survey, we examine the size and evolution of public–private sector wage differentials across geographical areas within the UK and over time. Public sector bargaining structures have led to historically high wage premia, although these premia are declining over time. In high‐cost low‐amenity areas, such as the south‐east of England, the public sector underpays relative to the private sector, therefore creating problems in recruitment to and provision of public services. Public sector labour markets are around 40 per cent as responsive to area differences in amenities and costs as are private sector labour markets. Differences in the degree of spatial variation between sectors are likely to remain, leading to persistent problems for the delivery of public services in some parts of the UK. Reform of public sector pay structures is likely to be costly, and so other non‐pay policies need to be considered to increase the attractiveness of public sector jobs.

Suggested Citation

  • David Bell & Robert F. Elliott & Ada Ma & Anthony Scott & Elizabeth Roberts, 2007. "The Pattern And Evolution Of Geographical Wage Differentials In The Public And Private Sectors In Great Britain," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 75(4), pages 386-421, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:manchs:v:75:y:2007:i:4:p:386-421
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9957.2007.01023.x
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fabien Postel-Vinay & Hélène Turon, 2007. "The Public Pay Gap in Britain: Small Differences That (Don't?) Matter," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(523), pages 1460-1503, October.
    2. Disney, Richard F & Gosling, Amanda, 2003. "A New Method for Estimating Public Sector Pay Premia: Evidence from Britain in the 1990's," CEPR Discussion Papers 3787, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard Disney & Carl Emmerson & Gemma Tetlow, 2009. "What is a Public Sector Pension Worth?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(541), pages 517-535, November.
    2. Stephen Gibbons & Sandra McNally & Martina Viarengo, 2018. "Does Additional Spending Help Urban Schools? An Evaluation Using Boundary Discontinuities," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 16(5), pages 1618-1668.
    3. Gibbons, Stephen & Overman, Henry G. & Pelkonen, Panu, 2010. "Wage disparities in Britain: people or place?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 30845, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    4. Peter Dolton & Gerald Makepeace & Oscar Marcenaro-Gutierrez, 2015. "Public Sector Pay in the UK: Quantifying the Impact of the Review Bodies," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 83(6), pages 701-724, December.
    5. Falch, Torberg & Johansen, Kåre & Strøm, Bjarne, 2009. "Teacher shortages and the business cycle," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 648-658, December.
    6. Caponi, Vincenzo, 2017. "Public employment policies and regional unemployment differences," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 1-12.
    7. Ahmed Nawaz Hakro & Yaseen Ghulam & Shabbar Jaffry & Vyoma Shah, 2021. "Employment Choices and Wage Differentials: Evidence on Labor Force Data Sets from Pakistan," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(1), pages 199-216, March.
    8. Eich, Frank, 2009. "Evaluating public and private sector pensions: The importance of sectoral pay differentials," EconStor Preprints 54561, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Rowena Crawford & Richard Disney, 2018. "Wage Regulation and the Quality of Police Applicants," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 85(340), pages 701-734, October.
    10. Gabriela Grotkowska, 2016. "Regional variation in the public sector wage premium in Poland," Ekonomia journal, Faculty of Economic Sciences, University of Warsaw, vol. 46.

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