IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ris/actuec/v79y2003i3p245-276.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

En quelle année vaut-il mieux être né? Les revenus des hommes et des femmes au Canada pendant un quart de siècle

Author

Listed:
  • Grenier, Gilles

    (Département de science économique)

Abstract

There exists a perception of economic inequalities among generations and more precisely that today’s younger generations are facing worse economic conditions than those who preceded them. In this paper, this hypothesis is tested for men and women in Canada. By pooling micro-data from the Canadian censuses of 1971, 1981, 1986, 1991 and 1996, earnings regressions are estimated to isolate the effects of birth year and age. Monetary values are converted using the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In the base specification, there are no other explanatory variables. For men, it is found that the “luckiest” generation is the one born in 1944 and that the least fortunate are those born recently. For women, the generation with the highest earnings is the one born in 1960 and the recent generations earn a lot more than the earlier ones. The inclusion of standard explanatory variable does not change the shape of the relationship between earnings and birth year, but the differences among generations are smaller. The results are sensitive to the use of the CPI to convert incomes. If it is assumed, as claimed by some, that the CPI systematically overestimated price increases in the past, the economic position of the younger generations is better than estimated otherwise. The inclusion of interaction terms between age and year of birth shows that the returns to age are lower for the recent generations than for the older ones. The results partly confirm some current ideas about the relative well-being of generations, but they also show the difficulty of comparing living standards over time. Il existe une perception qu’il y a des inégalités économiques entre les générations et plus précisément que la situation économique des jeunes travailleurs d’aujourd’hui est moins bonne que celle de leurs aînés. Dans ce texte, on cherche à tester cette hypothèse pour les hommes et les femmes au Canada. En combinant des microdonnées des recensements canadiens de 1971, 1981, 1986, 1991 et 1996, on estime des régressions de gains qui isolent les effets de l’année de naissance et de l’âge. Les valeurs monétaires sont converties avec l’indice des prix à la consommation (IPC). Dans la spécification de base, il n’y a pas d’autres variables explicatives. Pour les hommes, on obtient le résultat que la génération la plus « chanceuse » est celle née en 1944 et que les moins fortunés sont ceux nés récemment. Pour les femmes, la génération ayant les gains les plus élevés est celle née en 1960 et les générations récentes gagnent beaucoup plus que les plus anciennes. L’inclusion de variables explicatives standards ne change pas la forme de la relation entre les gains et l’année de naissance, mais les écarts entre générations sont plus petits. Les résultats sont sensibles à l’utilisation de l’IPC pour convertir les revenus. Si on suppose, comme certains le pensent, que l’IPC a systématiquement surestimé les augmentations de prix dans le passé, la situation économique des jeunes générations est meilleure que ce qu’on aurait estimé autrement. L’inclusion de variables d’interaction entre l’âge et l’année de naissance montre que les rendements selon l’âge sont plus petits pour les générations récentes que pour les générations anciennes. Les résultats confirment en partie certaines idées courantes sur le bien-être relatif des générations, mais ils montrent aussi la difficulté de comparer les niveaux de vie dans le temps.

Suggested Citation

  • Grenier, Gilles, 2003. "En quelle année vaut-il mieux être né? Les revenus des hommes et des femmes au Canada pendant un quart de siècle," L'Actualité Economique, Société Canadienne de Science Economique, vol. 79(3), pages 245-276, Septembre.
  • Handle: RePEc:ris:actuec:v:79:y:2003:i:3:p:245-276
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://id.erudit.org/iderudit/009900ar
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. George J. Borjas, 2021. "Assimilation, Changes in Cohort Quality, and the Earnings of Immigrants," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Foundational Essays in Immigration Economics, chapter 2, pages 3-29, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    2. Isabel Busom, 2000. "An Empirical Evaluation of The Effects of R&D Subsidies," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 9(2), pages 111-148.
    3. Paul Beaudry & David A. Green, 2000. "Cohort patterns in Canadian earnings: assessing the role of skill premia in inequality trends," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(4), pages 907-936, November.
    4. Klette, T.J. & Moen, J. & Griliches, Z., 1999. "Do Subsidies to Commercial R&D Reduce Market Failures? Microeconometric Evaluation Studies," Papers 16/99, Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration-.
    5. Karolina Ekholm & Johan Torstensson, 1997. "High-Technology Subsidies in General Equilibrium: A Sector-Specific Approach," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 30(4), pages 1184-1203, November.
    6. Martin, Stephen & Scott, John T., 2000. "The nature of innovation market failure and the design of public support for private innovation," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 437-447, April.
    7. Klette, Tor Jakob & Moen, Jarle & Griliches, Zvi, 2000. "Do subsidies to commercial R&D reduce market failures? Microeconometric evaluation studies1," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(4-5), pages 471-495, April.
    8. Minoru Kitahara & Toshihiro Matsumura, 2006. "Realized Cost‐Based Subsidies For Strategic R&D Investments With Ex Ante And Ex Post Asymmetries," The Japanese Economic Review, Japanese Economic Association, vol. 57(3), pages 438-448, September.
    9. Poyago-Theotoky, Joanna, 1998. "R&D Competition in a Mixed Duopoly under Uncertainty and Easy Imitation," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 415-428, September.
    10. Boskin, Michael J, et al, 1997. "The CPI Commission: Findings and Recommendations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 78-83, May.
    11. Lakdawalla, Darius & Sood, Neeraj, 2004. "Social insurance and the design of innovation incentives," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 85(1), pages 57-61, October.
    12. Emmanuel Petrakis & Joanna Poyago‐Theotoky, 2002. "R&D Subsidies versus R&D Cooperation in a Duopoly with Spillovers and Pollution," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(1), pages 37-52, March.
    13. Alan G. White, 2000. "Outlet types and the Canadian Consumer Price Index," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 33(2), pages 488-505, May.
    14. Alan G. White, 2000. "Outlet types and the Canadian Consumer Price Index," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 33(2), pages 488-505, May.
    15. Miyagiwa, Kaz & Ohno, Yuka, 2002. "Uncertainty, spillovers, and cooperative R&D," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 20(6), pages 855-876, June.
    16. Carl Davidson & Paul Segerstrom, 1998. "R&D Subsidies and Economic Growth," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(3), pages 548-577, Autumn.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gamal Atallah, 2002. "Production Technology, Information Technology, and Vertical Integration Under Asymmetric Information," Working Papers 0203EClassification-JEL: , University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    2. Gamal Atallah, 2005. "Partner Selection in R&D Cooperation," Working Papers 0503E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    3. Gamal Atallah & Marcel Boyer, 2002. "Le financement et l'évaluation de la performance des universités: l'expérience anglaise," CIRANO Project Reports 2002rp-14, CIRANO.
    4. Gamal Atallah, 2004. "The Allocation Of Resources To Cooperative And Noncooperative R&D," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(4), pages 435-447, December.
    5. Kathleen Day & R. Quentin Grafton, 2001. "Economic Growth and the Environment: A Canadian Perspective," Working Papers 0101E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    6. Gabriel Rodriguez, 2006. "Finite Sample Behaviour of the Level Shift Model using Quasi-Differenced Data," Working Papers 0604E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    7. van Ypersele, Tanguy & Hotte, Louis & Valognes, Fabrice, 2003. "Property Crime with Private Protection: A Market-for-Offenses Approach," CEPR Discussion Papers 3782, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Gamal Atallah, 2007. "Entry Deterrence through Fixed Cost Reducing R&D," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 97(4), pages 49-78, July-Agou.
    9. Shiell, Leslie & Lyssenko, Nikita, 2008. "Computing business-as-usual with a representative agent and a pollution externality," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 1543-1568, May.
    10. Serge Coulombe, 2001. "Should Canadian Regions Adopt the U.S. Dollar?," Working Papers 0106E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    11. Leslie M. Shiell, 2004. "Classical (Generalized) Utilitarianism and the Repugnant Conclusion," Working Papers 0404E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    12. Gamal Atallah, 2014. "Conditional R&D subsidies," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 179-214, March.
    13. Grenier Gilles & Tavakoli Akbar, 2006. "Globalization and Wage Inequality in the Canadian Manufacturing Sector: A Time Series Analysis," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 6(2), pages 1-27, May.
    14. Michel Beine & Serge Coulombe, 2004. "Economic Integration and Regional Industrial Specialization: Evidence from the Canadian- US FTA Experience," Working Papers 0408E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    15. Indira Romero & Gabriel Rodriguez, 2003. "Identifying Permanent and Transitory Components in Latin-American Real Exchange Rates," Working Papers 0308E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    16. Gamal Atallah & Gabriel Rodríguez, 2006. "Indirect patent citations," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 67(3), pages 437-465, June.
    17. Hui Liu & Gabriel Rodriguez, 2003. "Human Activities and Global Warming: A Cointegration Analysis," Working Papers 0307E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    18. Grenier, Gilles, 2008. "The internal migration of the immigrant and native-born populations in Canada between 1976 and 1996," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 37(2), pages 736-756, April.
    19. Rodriguez, Gabriel & Rowe, Nicholas, 2007. "Why U.S. money does not cause U.S. output, but does cause Hong Kong output," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 26(7), pages 1174-1186, November.
    20. Gabriel Rodriguez, 2001. "Estimation of the Taylor Rule for Canada Under Multiple Structural Changes," Working Papers 0107E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J62 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Job, Occupational and Intergenerational Mobility; Promotion

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ris:actuec:v:79:y:2003:i:3:p:245-276. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Benoit Dostie (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/scseeea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.