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Doing It Right? The US Labour Market Response to the 1980s/1990s

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  • Richard Freeman

Abstract

In this paper I examine both the positive and negative aspects of the US labor market response to the economic world of the 1980s/1990s. I review the economic development that created difficulties in the US and other advanced economies post the first oil shock; consider how a decentralised labor market might be expected to respond to them; and summarise the American response. I conclude by assessing the social welfare consequences of the American response relative to that in Europe.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Freeman, 1995. "Doing It Right? The US Labour Market Response to the 1980s/1990s," CEP Discussion Papers dp0231, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp0231
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Borjas, George J. & Freeman, Richard B. (ed.), 1992. "Immigration and the Work Force," National Bureau of Economic Research Books, University of Chicago Press, edition 1, number 9780226066332, July.
    2. George J. Borjas & Richard B. Freeman & Lawrence F. Katz, 1992. "On the Labor Market Effects of Immigration and Trade," NBER Chapters, in: Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas, pages 213-244, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Anders Bjorklund & Richard B. Freeman, 1997. "Generating Equality and Eliminating Poverty, the Swedish Way," NBER Chapters, in: The Welfare State in Transition: Reforming the Swedish Model, pages 33-78, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Chinhui Juhn & Kevin M. Murphy & Robert H. Topel, 1991. "Why Has the Natural Rate of Unemployment Increased over Time?," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 22(2), pages 75-142.
    5. Richard B. Freeman, 1994. "Working Under Different Rules," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number free94-1, June.
    6. George J. Borjas & Richard B. Freeman, 1992. "Immigration and the Work Force: Economic Consequences for the United States and Source Areas," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number borj92-1, June.
    7. Abraham, Katharine G & Katz, Lawrence F, 1986. "Cyclical Unemployment: Sectoral Shifts or Aggregate Disturbances?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 94(3), pages 507-522, June.
    8. Kevin M. Murphy & Robert H. Topel, 1987. "The Evolution of Unemployment in the United States: 1968–1985," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1987, Volume 2, pages 11-68, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Linda Bell & Richard Freeman, 1994. "Why Do Americans and Germans Work Different Hours?," NBER Working Papers 4808, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • R14 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Land Use Patterns
    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

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