How wide is the gap? An investigation of gender wage differences using quantile regression

In this paper we re-examine the link between subjective perceptions and objective measures of wage discrimination by estimating the mean and several quantiles in the conditional wage distribution of men and women in order to decompose the gender wage gap into the part attributed to different characteristics and the part attributable to differential returns to these characteristics at points other than the conditional expectation. In the process we take into account the endogeneity of educational choice and the participation decision of women. The results suggest that the absolute wage gap and the component of the latter that can be attributed to different returns to characteristics increase over the wage scale.     

Quantile regression for duration data: A reappraisal of the Pennsylvania Reemployment Bonus Experiments

We argue that quantile regression methods can play a constructive role in the analysis of duration (survival) data offering a more flexible, more complete analysis than is typically available with more conventional methods. We illustrate the approach with a reanalysis of the data from the Pennsylvania Reemployment Bonus Experiments. These experiments, conducted in 1988–89, were designed to test the efficacy of cash bonuses paid for early reemployment in shortening the length of insured unemployment spells     

Book Reviews

Béla Greskovits, The Political Economy of Protest and Patience. East European and Latin American Transformations Compared
Roman Frydman, Kenneth Murphy and Andrzej Rapaczynski, Capitalism with a Comrade's Face
Lorand Ambrus-Lakatos and Mark Schaffer (eds), Fiscal Policy in Transition. Forum Report of the Economic Policy initiative No. 3
Michael Ellman and Vladimir Kontorovich (eds), The Destruction of the Soviet Economic System. An Insider' History
Louis Emmerij (ed.), Economic and Social Development into the XXI Century     

The gender pay gap in Russia during the transition, 1992-96

This paper explores the link between rising wage dispersion in Russia over the transitional period and the gender pay gap. The work of Blau and Kahn (1996) emphasized a role for 'wage structure' in the determination of the gender pay gap, although some interpretational issues concerning their methodology have been raised recently by Suen (1997). The unadjusted gender pay gap between 1992 and 1996 exhibited some degree of stability, but the analysis presented identified increased wage dispersion as a modest agent for the widening of the gap in Russia. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) estimates for an equation pooling observations from both gender groups, registered no statistical difference in the mean ceteris paribus gender pay gap between the two years. To complement the mean regression approach, quantile regression procedures were also employed. Although the median regression provided evidence of a statistically significant temporal increase in the gender pay gap, this finding was not supported at other chosen quantiles of the wage distribution. This result was taken to highlight the possible sensitivity of the OLS procedure.
JEL classification: J16, J31, P23.     

Unconditional quantile regressions,wage growth and inequality in the Philippines, 2001–2006: the contribution of covariates

I implement a two-stage procedure to estimate the components of real wage change in the Philippines along the wage distribution from 2001 to 2006, as well as the contribution of individual covariates to each component. The methodology is based on Re-centred Influence Functions (RIF), as suggested by Firpo et al. (2009). The advantage of this methodology is that it not only decomposes the unconditional wage change at any quantile of the wage distribution, but also allows the characterization of the contribution of any single covariate on each component. I find that real earnings of males in the Philippines declined and the decline along the earnings distribution is generally higher at higher deciles for all males and higher at lower deciles in Manila. Decomposition results are driven by the wage structure component, while the composition effect is small and generally positive with education as the main contributor. Within the wage structure effect, the main determinants are associated with changes in the rewards of experience and occupation, along with residual change (change in intercepts).     

Wage differentials by sector and gender: a quantile analysis for the Spanish case

This paper analyses existing wage differentials between workers in the public and private sectors and by gender in Spain. This analysis is run throughout the entire earnings distribution and observed wage differentials are decomposed into a part explained by differences in productive characteristics and a part due to differences in returns to such characteristics. Our results show that public sector workers tend to earn higher wages than private employees, although most of this sector wage gap is due to better public workers’ productive characteristics. A wage premium in favour of men is also found in both the public and private sectors, with the gender wage gap greater at the top of the earnings distribution.     

The public-private sector wage gap in Zambia in the 1990s: A quantile regression approach

We investigate the determinants of wages in Zambia and based on the quantile regression approach, we analyze how their effects differ at different points in the wage distribution and over time. We use three cross-sections of Zambian household data from the early nineties, which was a period of economic transition, because items as privatization and deregulation were on the political agenda. The focus is placed on the public-private sector wage gap, and the results show that this gap was relatively favorable for the low-skilled and less favorable for the high-skilled. This picture was further strengthened during the period 1991–1996.     

中国省会城市工资溢价研究——基于分位数回归的空间计量分析

文章利用2000-2006年中国营养与健康调查数据,从微观层面对中国省会与非省会城市之间的工资溢价效应进行研究.借助OLS基准模型发现,具有相似特征的工人,在省会城市工作获得的工资比在非省会城市平均高出14%.运用MundlakChamberlain随机效应模型,控制城市的生活成本,上述省会城市的工资溢价至少减少至7%,因此省会城市的工资溢价部分体现为对较高水平人力资本的回报.余下的工资溢价随着模型加入通勤时间而消失,这一结果和城市经济学空间均衡理论的预测相一致,并确定了省会城市聚集经济效应的存在.考虑到我国近年来工资收入差距的扩大,文章将研究扩展到工资分位数的研究,处于较高工资区间的工人明显享受到更多省会城市带来的优势.这些结果突出了城市劳动力市场微观层面研究的重要性.     

Gender wage gap across the wage distribution in different segments of the Indian labour market, 1983–2012: exploring the glass ceiling or sticky floor phenomenon

Women’s participation in the Indian labour market is not only low but they are also engaged in low-productivity and low-paying jobs. Further, the labour market is segmented by gender, type of employment, sector and location of residence. This study makes an important contribution by examining gender wage gap in India across different segments of the labour market over the wage distribution using national-level representative data spanning the period 1983 to 2012. The empirical results suggest that (i) the male–female raw wage gap has declined over time across the wage distribution, (ii) the gender wage gap attributable to differing returns to characteristics has increased over time and there is evidence of convergence of productive characteristics of men and women, (iii) sticky floor rather than glass ceiling phenomenon is observed in all segments of the labour market and (iv) the adjusted wage gap suggests that women at the bottom of the distribution face higher discrimination than those at the top and this has increased over the years.     

垄断对我国行业收入差距的影响到底有多大?

改革30年来我国行业收入差距从整体上看呈现出先缩小后持续增大的变动趋势;经济体制改革不彻底导致的垄断与部分垄断是形成行业收入差距的主要因素,其贡献率合计占行业差距的65%左右;垄断对行业收入差距的贡献虽然有所波动,但基本上保持不变;部分垄断对行业收入差距的影响在逐步缩小。     

基于门限分位点回归的条件VaR风险度量

门限分位点回归模型是线性分位点回归模型的改进,是一种更加客观实际的非线性估计方法。利用该模型实证分析了单只股票(民生银行)的条件VaR。选择一种流动性风险指标作为条件,经过分析发现,由门限分位点回归模型得到结果能够更好地描述市场,也能更好地预测市场风险。     

Explaining the increase in inequality during transition

This paper attempts to explain the increase in inequality that has been observed in all transition economies by constructing a simple model of change in composition of employment during the transition. The change consists of the 'hollowing-out' of the state-sector middle class as it moves into either the 'rich' private sector or the 'poor' unemployed sector. The predictions of the model are contrasted with the empirical evidence from annual household income surveys from six transition economies (Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Poland, Russia and Slovenia) over the period 1987-95. We find that the most important factor driving overall inequality upwards was increased inequality of wage distribution. The non-wage private sector contributed strongly to inequality only in Latvia and Russia. Pensions, paradoxically, also pushed inequality up in Central Europe, while non-pension social transfers were too small everywhere and too poorly focussed to make much difference.     

The unequal distribution of unequal pay – An empirical analysis of the gender wage gap in Switzerland

In this paper we analyze the distribution of the gender wage gap. Using microdata for Switzerland we estimate conditional wage distribution functions and find that the total wage gap and its discrimination component are not constant over the range of wages. At low wages an overproportional part of the wage gap is due to discrimination. In a further analysis of specific individuals we examine the wage gap at different quantiles and propose a new measure to assess equal earnings opportunities. These additional results reveal that it is primarily low education that causes the large discrimination component at low wages. First version received: April 1999/Final version accepted: July 2000