Using a new non-parametric symmetry test we examine Canadian contract and survey data for evidence of nominal wage rigidities. We compare results from the two data sets with the view to examining the accuracy of survey data and consider whether the private/public and union/non-union sector...

The authors search information on the provisions of 10,947 wage contracts signed in the Canadian unionized sector between 1976 and 1999 for evidence of downward nominal wage rigidity (the disinclination of wages to fall, in nominal dollars, below their established level). Over the sample period,...

We explore the forces that shape the development of aspirations and the achievement of grades during high school and the role that these aspirations, grades, and other variables play in educational outcomes such as going to university and graduating. We find that parental expectations and peer...

We examine wage-change distributions in Canadian union contracts for evidence of downward nominal wage rigidity. Its probability increases substantially during low-inflation periods. During such periods, we discern no reduction in the incidence of real wage cuts. However, their magnitude is...

The authors search information on the provisions of 10,947 wage contracts signed in the Canadian unionized sector between 1976 and 1999 for evidence of downward nominal wage rigidity (the disinclination of wages to fall, in nominal dollars, below their established level). Over the sample period,...

In this paper, bivariate probit estimation procedures and nonindependent selectivity adjustments are employed to investigate the determinants of the joint welfare participation-labor supply decisions made by single males, single females, lone fathers, and lone mothers, using data from the...

In this study, we explore the effect of peers and family on University attendance and graduation. We find that parental expectations and peer effects have a significant impact on the educational outcomes which operates through the interconnectedness between grades and aspirations during high...

The decision to attend university is influenced by the balance of the expected returns and costs of attending university,by liquidity constraints and capital market imperfections that may modify these calculations and, hence, by the family income of prospective students. Family circumstances...

Data from the Survey of Consumer Finances and the Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics indicate that more females than males have been attending Canadian universities over the past decade. This gender imbalance in the attendance rates of females and males increased substantially during the...