This paper analyses the relationship between wage inequality and labour market development. Relevant economic theories are ambiguous, just as public debates. We measure the effects of wage inequality, skill-biased and skill-neutral technology on hours worked, productivity and wages in a novel...

Public sector jobs are created because governments opt to provide goods and services produced directly by public employees. Governments, however, may also choose to regulate the size of the public sector in order to stabilize targeted national employment levels. However, economic research...

As robots and other computer-assisted technologies take over tasks previously performed by labor, there is increasing concern about the future of jobs and wages. We analyze the effect of the increase in industrial robot usage between 1990 and 2007 on US local labor markets. Using a model in...

Motivated by recent debates on the possible role of wages as an income policy tool, in this study we examine the dynamic inter-relationship between wages in Bulgaria, mainly in the context of its EU accession. Relative to the WDN studies on the other EU member states, the novelty in this paper...

The aim of this paper is to measure the returns to human capital. We use a unique data set consisting of matched employer-employee information. Data on individuals' human capital include a set of 26 tasks that capture the utilization of workers' skills in a very detailed way. Thus, we can expand...

We address the concerns about rising inequality in the German labour market after the implementation of the Hartz reforms between 2003 and 2005. We focus on the quality of new jobs started between 1998 and 2010 in West Germany in terms of job stability and level of earnings. Using social...

This paper focuses on the German labor market for older workers. It does so in comparison with other countries and with a unique focus on the role of employer incentives for retaining and hiring older workers. It argues that while employment of older German workers has improved due to changes in...

Pollution is a common byproduct of economic activity. Although policymakers should account for both the benefits and the negative externalities of polluting activities, it is difficult to identify those who are harmed and those who benefit from them. To overcome this challenge, our paper uses a...

This paper proposes an overlapping generations multi‐sector model of the labor market for developing countries with three heterogeneities – heterogeneity within self‐employment, heterogeneity in ability, and heterogeneity in age. We revisit an iconic paradox in a class of multi‐sector...

The various channels through which a reduction in the cost of offshoring can improve wages in a developed country are by now well understood. But does a similar reduction in the offshoring cost also benefit workers in the world's factories in developing countries? Using a parsimonious...

Der Luftverkehr wächst weltweit seit Jahrzehnten. Dieses Wachstum setzt sich fort, aber gleichzeitig steckt die Branche in Deutschland und Europa aufgrund von Deregulierung und freiem Marktzugang in einem Strukturwandel, der durch Rationalisierungen bei Strecken und Personal, steigender...

Bericht über Arbeitsbedingungen in der Schuhindustrie Osteuropas. Die Realität hinter Schuhen "Made in Europe". "Made in Europe” klingt besser als "Made in China”. Doch was steckt wirklich dahinter? Unsere neueste, innerhalb unserer Kampagne Change Your Shoes erarbeitete Recherche zeigt:...

A large share of workers receives bonus payments besides their base wage. The benefits of flexible wage components in remuneration are twofold: they can incentivize workers and make it easier to adjust wages downward in response to negative shocks. Using data on bonus payments of Hungarian...

Rund die Hälfte der Krankenhäuser in Baden-Württemberg hat im Jahr 2014 einen Jahresverlust geschrieben. In keinem anderen Bundesland war der Anteil von Kliniken in den roten Zahlen größer. Ein Grund für die besorgniserregende Lage ist das hohe regionale Lohnniveau. Dieses kann ein...

This paper investigates the effect of quantitative easing (QE) and other unconventional monetary policies on inflation and wage expectations of UK manufacturing firms. To identify the effect of QE on firms' expectations, we use a novel approach of combining microeconometric data with...

To study whether current spending levels and public knowledge of them contribute to transatlantic differences in policy preferences, we implement parallel survey experiments in Germany and the United States. In both countries, support for increased education spending and teacher salaries falls...