Explaining Eastern Germany's Wage Gap: The Impact of Structural Change |
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| Authors: | BERND GÖRZIG MARTIN GORNIG AXEL WERWATZ |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Professor for Quantitative Economics, Technical University, Berlin and Senior Researcher, DIW , Berlin;2. Research Associate and Deputy Head of the Department of Innovation, Manufacturing, Service, DIW Berlin and Research Fellow, Institute for Urban Research and Structural Policy , Berlin;3. Professor of Microeconometrics/Industrial Economics, University of Potsdam and Head of the Department of Innovation, Manufacturing, Service, DIW Berlin , K?nigin-Luise-Stra?e 5, 14195, Berlin, Germany E-mail: awerwatz@diw.de |
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| Abstract: | Since Eastern Germany's conversion to a market economy wages have remained considerably below the West German wage level. This article looks at the role of establishment-specific factors—such as sectoral affiliation and size of the labour force—in this process. A non-parametric decomposition that has played a prominent role in the gender wage gap literature is applied to breakdown the East–West wage gap into its constituent components. Using establishment data from German employment statistics, the article demonstrates that the catching-up process of Eastern Germany's wage level is hindered by the shift in its economic structure towards lower-paying types of companies, which has caused the lagging behind in the adjustment of wages. |
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