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1 – 10 of over 1000Petri Böckerman and Pekka Ilmakunnas
The objective of this paper is to analyse the role of adverse working conditions in the determination of individual wages and job satisfaction in the Finnish labour market.
Abstract
Purpose
The objective of this paper is to analyse the role of adverse working conditions in the determination of individual wages and job satisfaction in the Finnish labour market.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper uses estimation of econometric models for wages and job satisfaction scores by using the Quality of Work Life Survey of Statistics Finland.
Findings
The paper finds that adverse working conditions have a very minor role in the determination of individual wages. In contrast, adverse working conditions substantially decrease the level of job satisfaction and the perception of fairness of pay at the workplace. This evidence speaks against the existence of compensating wage differentials, but is consistent with the view that the Finnish labour market functions in a non‐competitive fashion.
Practical implications
Provides useful information for improvement of working conditions.
Originality/value
Very few papers have analysed the data sets that include, besides wages and job satisfaction scores, detailed information on several different aspects of self‐reported working conditions at the workplace, not just conditions typical of some occupations or industries.
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Using the Canadian Census of 2016, the present study examines the Black and White gap in compensating differentials for their commute to work.
Abstract
Purpose
Using the Canadian Census of 2016, the present study examines the Black and White gap in compensating differentials for their commute to work.
Design/methodology/approach
The data are from the Canadian Census of 2016. The standard Mincerian wage regression, augmented by commute-related variables and their confounders, is estimated by OLS. The estimations use sample weights and heteroscedasticity robust standard errors.
Findings
In the standard Mincerian wage regressions, Black men are found to earn non-negligibly less than White men. No such gap is found among women. When the Mincerian wage equation is augmented by commute duration and its confounders, commute duration is revealed to positively predict wages of White men and negatively associate with wages of Black men. At the same time, in the specifications including commute duration and its confounders, the coefficient for the dummy variable identifying Black men is positive with a non-negligible size. The latter pattern indicates wage discrepancies among Black men by their commute duration. Again, no difference is found between Black and White women in these estimations.
Research limitations/implications
The main caveat is that due to data limitations, causal estimates could not be produced.
Practical implications
For the Canadian working men, the uncovered patterns indicate both between and within race gaps in the impact of commuting on wages. Particularly, Black men seem to commute longer towards relatively lower paying jobs, while the opposite holds for their White counterparts. However, Black men who reside close to their work earn substantially more than both otherwise identical White men and Black men who live far away from their jobs. The implications for research and policy are discussed.
Originality/value
This is the first paper focused on commute compensating differentials by race using Canadian data.
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To analyse two important effects of the level of social concern in the firm. First, the effect on the labour force composition, i.e. do particular types of concerns attract…
Abstract
Purpose
To analyse two important effects of the level of social concern in the firm. First, the effect on the labour force composition, i.e. do particular types of concerns attract certain kinds of employees? Second, the effect on the wage level within the firm, i.e. do firm‐provided social concerns substitute for money wages, or are they provided as an additional compensation?
Design/methodology/approach
Empirical analysis using a survey on more than 2,000 firms, linked to administrative data for each employee in the firms. Estimates wage equations using the IV approach to deal with endogeneity of the level of social concerns. Two competing theories aiming to explain the use of social concerns toward employees, the compensating wage differential theory and corporate social responsibility, are compared.
Findings
Finds indications in favour of the compensating wage differential theory when looking at wage effects at the firm level, whereas looking at the target group level finds that white‐collar workers might experience higher levels of social concerns without having lower wages, which contrast the theory of compensating wage differentials.
Originality/value
The paper compare two well‐established theories within two different disciplines – the compensating wage differential theory from economics, and CSR from management. This is done using solid empirical analysis.
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Both labour groups and the national press frequently justifydemands for protection against industrial adjustment on the grounds thatit leads to the destruction of communities and…
Abstract
Both labour groups and the national press frequently justify demands for protection against industrial adjustment on the grounds that it leads to the destruction of communities and traditional ways of life, with a devastating effect on welfare. To justify this claim in the context of a Ricardian open‐economy model requires quite strong restrictions on worker preferences, but a plausible case can be made. Presents a model based on the attachment of workers to their socio‐cultural environment, and suggests some policy options for redressing trade‐induced inequities.
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Catalina Amuedo‐Dorantes and Traci Mach
Uses longitudinal data from the NLSY79 to examine the effect of a broad variety of performance‐based pay schemes and fringe benefits on male and female wages between 1988 and…
Abstract
Uses longitudinal data from the NLSY79 to examine the effect of a broad variety of performance‐based pay schemes and fringe benefits on male and female wages between 1988 and 1998. Specifically, analyzes whether the offer of various performance‐based pay schemes and fringe benefits functions as an alternative work incentive, eliciting greater effort and raising wages or, instead, it is accompanied by lower wages, as predicted by compensating wage theory. The results indicate that, while most performance‐based pay schemes are associated with higher wages to differing extents across gender, tips are commonly accompanied by lower wages among men. Similarly, while the offer of a retirement plan appears to as a work incentive raising male and female wages, workers are willing to trade wages for jobs offering life and medical insurance.
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Reviews a number of contributions to migration analysis. Discusses someof the rudiments of migration modelling before turning attention tospecific applications. Pays particular…
Abstract
Reviews a number of contributions to migration analysis. Discusses some of the rudiments of migration modelling before turning attention to specific applications. Pays particular attention to articles which have modelled the interaction between labour and housing markets.
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Xuezheng Qin, Lixing Li and Yangyang Liu
The purpose of this paper is to estimate the value of a statistical life (VSL) in China using the hedonic wage model, and to explore the regional difference in VSL within the…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to estimate the value of a statistical life (VSL) in China using the hedonic wage model, and to explore the regional difference in VSL within the country.
Design/methodology/approach
Using the hedonic wage regression, this paper estimates the compensating wage differential for incremental job mortality risk among Chinese workers. The implied VSL is derived for China and its different regions. The data is from the 2005 China inter‐census population survey, consisting of 1.3 million urban and rural workers. The authors also made important improvement in the model specification to explicitly address the missing variable issue in the previous studies.
Findings
The paper results indicate that the industry mortality risk has a significant impact on the wage rate. The implied VSL is 1.81 million RMB, a value substantially higher than previous estimates. The results also suggest a sizable urban‐rural difference, with the urban VSL being 4.3 times higher than the rural estimate. The strong urban‐rural inequality of income could be attributed to the segregation between the urban and rural labor markets.
Practical implications
The paper findings indicate the importance of reforming the current workers' compensation standard and improving the institutional environment, as well as enhancing the labor protection in the rural labor market.
Originality/value
This paper is the first attempt to estimate the value of life in China using the census based data. The paper results contribute to the growing literature in obtaining comparable VSL estimates in the developing countries.
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This paper seeks to study gender wage differentials in Italy using first‐order predictions of monopsony‐search models. It compares empirical predictions of these models against…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to study gender wage differentials in Italy using first‐order predictions of monopsony‐search models. It compares empirical predictions of these models against other competing ones of wage determination in non‐competitive settings.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper looks at the empirical relevance of the model in terms of third degree wage discrimination among men and women by estimating the labour supply elasticity to the individual firm. It also tests the monopsony model using a “natural” experiment. Italian administrative longitudinal data from INPS are used.
Findings
Women have lower elasticity of labour supply to the individual firm: employer size regressions indicate larger effects (and consequently lower elasticity) for women as predicted by the monopsony model. Using the theoretical dynamic monopsony‐search model of Burdett and Mortensen, wage elasticity of separations and recruits confirm this result. Using relative men/women employment effects resulting from institutional changes in wage indexation mechanism (Scala Mobile), it is found that relative male employment responded differently in the two periods to the exogenous relative increase in the wage differential, as predicted by the monopsony model. Search frictions explain about 50 per cent of the gender differential.
Research limitations/implications
No role for discrimination. Better controls for rents and union status would be needed. More rich firm data would be needed.
Originality/value
The paper is one of the few attempts of testing implications of monopsony models in unionised labour markets, such as Italy, after some important reforms in wage bargaining agreements. The change in institutional agreements is an interesting test for different theories of wage determination.
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The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and firms’ future performance as well as the association between UI…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate the association between unemployment insurance (UI) benefits and firms’ future performance as well as the association between UI benefits and volatility of firms’ future performance.
Design/methodology/approach
Quantitative analyses are used to perform empirical testing, and the variables in this study have been selected from previous literature. Empirical data consists of UI benefits data published from 2003 to 2012 on the US Department of Labor website, accounting data from Compustat, and stock return data from CRSP.
Findings
Unemployment benefits are positively associated with firms’ future earnings and cash flows. Also, unemployment benefits are negatively associated with volatility of firms’ future earnings and cash flows. Finally, the positive association between unemployment benefits and firms’ future performance is more pronounced for firms with larger changes in labor force, and the negative association between unemployment benefits and volatility of firms’ future performance is more pronounced for firms with higher labor force volatility and capital structure volatility.
Research limitations/implications
To the extent that other correlated omitted variables exist, the readers are asked to interpret the findings in this paper with caution.
Originality/value
This study contributes to prior literature on labor economics, finance, and accounting. The findings may be of interest to academic researchers and policy makers.
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Susan M. Adams, Atul Gupta and John D. Leeth
The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in compensation related to gender concentrations among industries at different organisation levels of management to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to investigate differences in compensation related to gender concentrations among industries at different organisation levels of management to identify gender‐based patterns of compensation at the macro level not investigated in previous studies that simply suggest industry or occupational differences. Findings provide guidance for selection processes, career path management for maximising compensation and policy‐making.
Design/methodology/approach
Data from the Current Population Surveys and the Standard and Poor's ExecuComp database were used to examine differences in compensation of managers and top executives.
Findings
Findings suggest that men and women must seek different paths and endpoints to optimize compensation. Maximising compensation for women requires working as a minority and changing industries. Men, on the other hand, may work in male‐dominated industries at every level or may move to female‐dominated industries at the managerial and executive levels and still receive equitable pay.
Research limitations/implications
The paper was conducted on a USA sample so further research should examine data from other countries.
Practical implications
In practice, this paper suggests that men and women must seek different paths and endpoints to optimize compensation. Human resource managers should be aware of these potential biases and try to rectify them within their organisations through the use of appropriate selection and compensation practices. At the macro‐level, policy‐makers can identify patterns of inequity to address.
Originality/value
Gender‐related difference studies of compensation offer little understanding about how to maximise compensation during one's management career as it progresses through management levels and across industries.
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