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SBTC versus trade: testing skill-premia evidence across 25 OECD countries

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  • Alexandre Almeida
  • Oscar Afonso

Abstract

The recent widening of intra-country wage inequality in favour of high-skilled labour has been attributed by some authors to Skill-Biased Technological Change (SBTC) and by others to International Trade (IT) liberalization. As few empirical studies have tried to assess both explanations across a comprehensive sample of countries, we analyse the impact of both explanations within a unified framework and across 25 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Results suggest that the SBTC (IT) explanation dominates in developed (developing) countries and when intra-country wage inequality is measured by the wage ratio of college-to-lower (upper)-secondary graduates.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexandre Almeida & Oscar Afonso, 2010. "SBTC versus trade: testing skill-premia evidence across 25 OECD countries," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 17(15), pages 1497-1501.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:17:y:2010:i:15:p:1497-1501
    DOI: 10.1080/13504850903049601
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Oscar Afonso, 2006. "Skill-biased technological knowledge without scale effects," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 38(1), pages 13-21.
    2. George J. Borjas & Richard B. Freeman & Lawrence F. Katz, 2021. "How Much Do Immigration and Trade Affect Labor Market Outcomes?," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Foundational Essays in Immigration Economics, chapter 8, pages 163-234, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    3. Galiani, Sebastian & Sanguinetti, Pablo, 2003. "The impact of trade liberalization on wage inequality: evidence from Argentina," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 72(2), pages 497-513, December.
    4. Castellacci, Fulvio & Archibugi, Daniele, 2008. "The technology clubs: The distribution of knowledge across nations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(10), pages 1659-1673, December.
    5. Edward E. Leamer, 1994. "Trade, Wages and Revolving Door Ideas," NBER Working Papers 4716, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Mathias Thoenig & Thierry Verdier, 2003. "A Theory of Defensive Skill-Biased Innovation and Globalization," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 93(3), pages 709-728, June.
    7. Daron Acemoglu, 2003. "Patterns of Skill Premia," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 70(2), pages 199-230.
    8. Stephen Machin & John Van Reenen, 1998. "Technology and Changes in Skill Structure: Evidence from Seven OECD Countries," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1215-1244.
    9. Afonso, Oscar, 2008. "The impact of government intervention on wage inequality without scale effects," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 25(2), pages 351-362, March.
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    Cited by:

    1. Thanos Fragkandreas, 2022. "Three Decades of Research on Innovation and Inequality: Causal Scenarios, Explanatory Factors, and Suggestions," Working Papers 60, Birkbeck Centre for Innovation Management Research, revised Feb 2022.
    2. Ribeiro, Ana Paula & Carvalho, Vitor & Ferreira, Mariana, 2020. "The effect of globalization on wage inequality: an application to the European Union before the Great Recession," MPRA Paper 110697, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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