We estimate the trend in the transitory variance of male earnings in the United States using the Michigan Panel Study of Income Dynamics from 1970 to 2004. Using an error components model and simpler but only approximate methods, we find that the transitory variance started to increase in the early 1970s, continued to increase through the…

Though a relative small part of the school sector, private schools have an important role in British society, and there are policy concerns about their negative effect on social mobility. Other studies show that individuals who have attended a private school go on to have higher levels of educational achievement, are more likely to secure a…

Few studies have considered how earnings inequality estimates may be affected by measurement error in self-reported earnings in surveys. Utilizing restricted-use data that links workers in the Survey of Income and Program Participation with their W-2 earnings records, we examine the effect of measurement error on estimates of racial earnings…

The earnings gap between black men and white men widened from 1979-89. Black men were more likely to experience declines in regions where they were concentrated. White men's earnings rose relative to black men's in lower-paying industries. (SK)

This paper provides a longitudinal perspective on changes in Italian men's earnings inequality since the late 1970s by decomposing the earnings autocovariance structure into its long-term and transitory parts. Cross-sectional earnings differentials grew over the period and the longitudinal analysis shows that such growth was determined by the…

This report contains 23 tables reporting the differences between men and women in lifetime labor force attachment, occupation, and earnings. The information was collected from a sample of approximately 20,000 households in May, June, July, and August 1984, as part of the Survey of Income Program Participation. The first part of this report…

A matched sample of Social Security and Current Population Survey records is used to determine life-cycle earnings patterns of White males. Estimated effects of schooling and experience compare well with other studies, but interaction effects with cohort do not. Military experience plays a powerful role in earnings differences across cohorts.…

Examines the earnings gap between Mexican, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White male workers resulting from changes in both wage structure and immigration law in the 1980s. Results suggest that Mexican-American and Hispanic-American workers were adversely affected by these changes. Data from a national survey show how workers minimized the negative…

Differences between the earnings of men and women suggest that women are being paid less for doing the same job. Factors that attribute to the wage differences are (1) women are concentrated in those occupations which are less skilled and in which wages are relatively low, (2) women working on full-time schedules tend to work less overtime than…

There are clear patterns of racial and ethnic differences in the economic success of immigrants to the United States. Economic migrants are likely to have relatively higher earnings than refugees. Earnings equality is affected as well by sex, transferable skills, and motive. (SK)

The effects of health status on schooling attainment and earnings of young males are considered. Findings revealed that those with the most severe health problems obtain 20 percent less schooling than their healthy counterparts, and hourly earnings are reduced 17 percent directly and indirectly by health problems. (TE)

A comparison of college faculty earnings to earnings of other professionals with comparable educational background is presented in an effort to determine the relative standing of the academic profession among all professional occupations. The information is compiled from self-reported figures of the Bureau of Census survey that provides data on…

A study compared the personal income and educational attainment of male war veterans and nonveterans as of March 1983. Using data from the March supplement of the 1983 Current Population Survey, the researchers compared the educational attainment and income of 9 separate age groups of a sample of 22,823 veterans and 47,792 nonveterans. For the…

Affirmative action is a necessary and effective strategy to end racial and gender inequalities. While moral and historical defenses of affirmative action have merit, economic reasoning is a more potent argument. Analysis of the economic costs and benefits of affirmative action in higher education illustrate its effectiveness in reducing income…

Using data from 1974 to 1977 National Opinion Research Center Surveys, the investigator examined differentials in income between currently employed white men and women aged 25 to 64 (sample size: 965 men and 672 women). Special attention was given to explanatory effects of occupational characteristics other than those traditionally used in the…