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Addiction to work: An Inelastic Wage Elasticity of Labour Supply Equals Long Hours of Work

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  • Donatella Cavagnoli

    (La Trobe University)

Abstract

A phenomenon of the last twenty years is the growth of ‘very long hours’ of work, especially amongst high-skilled labour. This is an unexpected reversal of a long trend in the opposite direction. This paper criticises the Beckerian analysis of labour-leisure choice. It argues that the more time is consumed in paid work, the more are preferences for paid work affected by it; thereby creating a vicious cycle of consumption patterns which lead to longer than expected hours of work.

Suggested Citation

  • Donatella Cavagnoli, 2008. "Addiction to work: An Inelastic Wage Elasticity of Labour Supply Equals Long Hours of Work," Australian Journal of Labour Economics (AJLE), Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC), Curtin Business School, vol. 11(2), pages 129-147.
    • Handle: RePEc:ozl:journl:v:11:y:2008:i:2:p:129-147
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hamermesh Daniel S. & Slemrod Joel B, 2008. "The Economics of Workaholism: We Should Not Have Worked on This Paper," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 8(1), pages 1-30, January.
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    7. Elisa‐Rose Birch, 2005. "Studies of the Labour Supply of Australian Women: What Have We Learned?," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 81(252), pages 65-84, March.
    8. Yi-Ping Tseng & Mark Wooden, 2005. "Preferred vs Actual Working Hours in Couple Households," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2005n07, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
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    Cited by:

    1. Donatella Cavagnoli, 2012. "The Labour Supply Curve: A Pluralist Approach to Investigate its Measurements," The Economic and Labour Relations Review, , vol. 23(3), pages 71-88, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Time Allocation and Labor Supply; Labor Economics; General Intertemporal Consumer Choice; Life Cycle Models and Saving;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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