Expected earnings and expected returns to education are seen by labour economists as a major determinant of educational attainment. In spite of this, the empirical knowledge about expectations and their formation is scarce. In this Paper we report the results of the first systematic study of the...

In this study, we investigate the role that some institutional features play in shaping the distribution of wages across a number of OECD countries. While considerable attention has been devoted in recent years to the evolution of earnings inequality and to the analysis of the competing...

In the public debate, poor employment performance has often been associated with the existence of extensive labour market regulations and a lack of commitment to far- sighted public policies. This paper investigates the relation between policy myopia and labour market institutions. We develop a...

In the public debate, poor employment performance has often been associated with the existence of extensive labour market regulations and a lack of commitment to far- sighted public policies. This paper investigates the relation between policy myopia and labour market institutions. We develop a...

The authors investigate the causal effect on firm productivity of a switch from fixed wages to collective performance-related pay, exploiting a reform in the structure of collective bargaining triggered by a social pact. They find that an increase in the adoption of collective...

Il ruolo dei valori familiari nel determinare gli esiti economici e sociali è molto dibattuta all’interno delle scienze sociali. Un filone della letteratura individua nei legami familiari un freno allo sviluppo economico e alla diffusione di valori civici all’interno dei membri di una...

Using data from the two most recent waves of the European Working Conditions Survey we study inequalities in health, job quality and low pay in 15 European countries. Our health indicators refer to physical and mental health symptoms reported by the worker. A summary indicator of job quality is...

The recent financial crisis has created a public outcry over top-executive pay packages and has led to calls for reform of executive pay in Europe and the US. The current controversy is not the first - nor will it be the last - time that executive compensation has sparked outrage and led to...