Maternity leave policies are designed to ease the tension between women's employment and fertility, but whether they actually play such a role remains unclear. We analyze the individual-level effects of maternity leave on employment outcomes and on second conception rates among Russian first-time mothers from 1985-2000 using retrospective job and…

Although income inequality in Central and Eastern Europe was considerably lower during socialism than in other countries at comparable levels of development, it increased significantly in all Central and East European states after the fall of communist regimes. However, some of these countries managed to maintain comparatively low inequality…

This article shows that, after decades of inequality, the 1990s saw sudden and dramatic increases in lending to low income and minority groups. Drawing in part on the work of Williams, Nesiba and McConnell (2005), we argue that government deregulation, industry restructuring and government-insured loans all fueled this growth by increasing the…

Discusses a study which investigated the effects of violence on socioeconomic changes among Blacks. Finds no effects of racial violence on non-White income, employment, or occupational fluctuations from 1960 to 1970. (Author/GC)

Analyzes the effect of the transition from a state socialist economy to a market-oriented economy on personal income inequality in urban China. Examines returns to human capital (educational attainment and work experience) in low-profit state firms, high-profit state firms, and market firms. (Contains 54 references.) (Author/SV)