Egalitarian Wage Policies and Long‐Term Unemployment

B-Tier
Journal: Scandanavian Journal of Economics
Year: 1998
Volume: 100
Issue: 3
Pages: 611-625

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

How does a centrally imposed egalitarian wage policy affect unemployment, when workers differ with respect to productivity? The effect on total unemployment is found to be ambiguous. Egalitarian wages encourage job creation because increased profits derived from the most productive workers more than outweigh reduced profits derived from the least productive workers. Short‐term unemployment is reduced. On the other hand, firms respond by raising their reservation productivity. Some workers are left almost completely unemployable. Long‐term unemployment rises. Less inequality in the wage distribution is obtained at the expense of more inequality in the distribution of unemployment.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:bla:scandj:v:100:y:1998:i:3:p:611-625
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29