This chapter provides an overview of the methodological and practical issues that arise when estimating causal relationships that are of interest to labor economists. The subject matter includes identification, data collection, and measurement problems. Four identification strategies are...

One of the most striking features of European labor markets is the high incidence of longterm unemployment. In this chapter, we review the literature on its causes and consequences. Our main conclusions are that: the rise in the incidence of longterm unemployment has been "caused" by a collapse...

This chapter summarizes the empirical and theoretical research on executive compensation and provides a comprehensive and up-to-date description of pay practices (and trends in pay practices) for chief executive officers (CEOs). Topics discussed include the level and structure of CEO pay...

In this chapter, I survey principal econometric studies of several important labor market issues in Central and East European countries as they launched the transition from central planning to a market economy. The topics covered include employment, wage and fringe benefits determination in...

The general equilibrium analysis of many important labor market issues is very different in an economy that is open to international trade than an economy (like the US in the 1950s) in which trade is not very important. Despite the fact that individual national economies have become increasingly...

Barely a day goes by without some expert telling us how the continental European economies are about to disintegrate unless their labor markets become more flexible. Basically, we are told, Europe has the wrong sort of labor market institutions for the modern global economy. These outdated...