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Labour Market Institutions and Wage Inequality

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Author Info
Koeniger, Winfried (IZA Bonn)
Leonardi, Marco () (University of Milan and IZA Bonn)
Nunziata, Luca (Nuffield College, Oxford, University of Milan and IZA Bonn)

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Abstract

In this paper we investigate the importance of labor market institutions such as unemployment insurance, unions, firing regulation and minimum wages for the evolution of wage inequality across countries. We derive a simple log-linear equation of the wage differential as a function of the institutional parameters, total factor productivity, final good prices and relative skill supply. Our estimates for 11 OECD countries imply that labor market institutions can account for a large part of the change of wage inequality across countries after controlling for time and country effects.

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Paper provided by Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in its series IZA Discussion Papers with number 1291.

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Length: 37 pages
Date of creation: Sep 2004
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Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1291

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Related research
Keywords: labor market institutions; wage differential by skill; bilateral monopoly; country panel data;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution
J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, and Vacancies - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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  3. David Card & Thomas Lemieux & W. Craig Riddell, 2003. "Unionization and Wage Inequality: A Comparative Study of the U.S, the U.K., and Canada," NBER Working Papers 9473, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  29. Christopher L. Erikson & Andrea Ichino, 1994. "Wage Differentials in Italy: Market Forces, Institutions, and Inflation," NBER Working Papers 4922, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  30. Stephen Nickell & Luca Nunziata & Wolfgang Ochel, 2005. "Unemployment in the OECD Since the 1960s. What Do We Know?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 115(500), pages 1-27, 01. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Bertola, Giuseppe, 2008. "Labour Markets in EMU - What has Changed and What Needs to Change," CEPR Discussion Papers 7049, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Ioannis Cholezas & Panos Tsakloglou, 2007. "Earnings Inequality in Europe: Structure and Patterns of Inter-Temporal Changes," IZA Discussion Papers 2636, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  3. Giuseppe Bertola & Francine Blau & Lawrence Kahn, 2007. "Labor market institutions and demographic employment patterns," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 20(4), pages 833-867, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Winfried Koeniger & Marco Leonardi, 2006. "Capital Deepening and Wage Differentials: Germany vs. US," IZA Discussion Papers 2065, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  5. Giulia Faggio & Stephen Nickell, 2006. "Patterns of Work Across the OECD," CEP Discussion Papers dp0730, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Robert E. Lipsey & Birgitta Swedenborg, 2007. "Explaining Product Price Differences Across Countries," NBER Working Papers 13239, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Anna M. Falzoni & Alessandra Venturini & Claudia Villosio, 2007. "Skilled and Unskilled Wage Dynamics in Italy in the ‘90s: Changes in the individual characteristics, institutions, trade and technology," LABORatorio R. Revelli Working Papers Series 61, LABORatorio R. Revelli, Centre for Employment Studies. [Downloadable!]
  8. KAWAGUCHI Daiji & MORI Yuko, 2008. "Stable Wage Distribution in Japan, 1982-2002: A Counter Example for SBTC?," Discussion papers 08020, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI). [Downloadable!]
  9. Jorg, LINGENS & Klaus, WAELDE, 2005. "Pareto-Improving Unemployment Policies," Discussion Papers (ECON - Département des Sciences Economiques) 2005033, Université catholique de Louvain, Département des Sciences Economiques. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Daniel, Kirsten & Siebert, W. Stanley, 2004. "Does Employment Protection Reduce the Demand for Unskilled Labor?," IZA Discussion Papers 1290, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
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