This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

The Effect of Unions on the Distribution of Wages: Redistribution or Relabelling?

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
David Card

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

This paper re-examines the connection between unions and wage inequality, focusing on three questions: (1) How does the union wage effect vary across the wage distribution? (2) What is the effect of unionism on the overall variance of wages at the end of the 1980s? (3) How much of the increase in the variance of wages over the 1970s and 1980s can be attributed to changes in the level and distribution of union coverage? Cross-sectional union wage gap estimates vary over the wage distribution, ranging from over 30 percent for lower wage workers to 10 percent for higher wage workers. Using a longitudinal estimation technique that accounts for misclassification errors in union status, I find that this variation represents a combination of a truly larger wage effect for lower-paid workers, and differential selection biases. The estimated effect of unions on the variance of wages in the late 1980s is relatively modest. Nevertheless, changes in the level and pattern of unionism--particularly the decline of unions among lower wage workers -- have been an important component of the growth in wage inequality. Changes in unionization account for one-fifth of the increase of the variance of adult male wages between 1973 and 1987.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.nber.org/papers/w4195.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: Access to the full text is generally limited to series subscribers, however if the top level domain of the client browser is in a developing country or transition economy free access is provided. More information about subscriptions and free access is available at http://www.nber.org/wwphelp.html.

As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to look for a different version under "Related research" (further below) or search for a different version of it.

Publisher Info
Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 4195.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Oct 1992
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4195

Note: LS
Contact details of provider:
Postal: National Bureau of Economic Research, 1050 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
Phone: 617-868-3900
Email:
Web page: http://www.nber.org
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: ().

Related research
Keywords:

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. McKinley L. Blackburn & David E. Bloom & Richard B. Freeman, 1989. "The Declining Economic Position of Less-Skilled American Males," NBER Working Papers 3186, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  2. Farber, Henry S, 1990. "The Decline of Unionization in the United States: What Can Be Learned from Recent Experience," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 8(1), pages S75-105, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Ashenfelter, Orley, 1972. "Racial Discrimination and Trade Unionism," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(3), pages 435-64, May-June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Richard B. Freeman, 1980. "Unionism and the dispersion of wages," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 34(1), pages 3-23, October.
    Other versions:
  5. repec:fth:coluec:452 is not listed on IDEAS
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Fortin, Nicole M & Lemieux, Thomas, 1997. "Institutional Changes and Rising Wage Inequality: Is There a Linkage?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 75-96, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Daniel Cardona & Fernando Sanchez Losada, 2003. "Union Power, Minimum Wage Legislation, Endogenous Labor Supplies and Production," Working Papers in Economics 105, Universitat de Barcelona. Espai de Recerca en Economia. [Downloadable!]
  3. Martin Feldstein & Marian Vaillant, 1994. "Can State Taxes Redistribute Income?," NBER Working Papers 4785, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Jeff Borland, 1994. "Union Effects and Earnings Dispersion in Australia, 1986-1994," Canadian International Labour Network Working Papers 04, McMaster University. [Downloadable!]
  5. DiNardo, John & Hallock, Kevin F. & Pischke, Jörn-Steffen, 2000. "Unions and the Labor Market for Managers," IZA Discussion Papers 150, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. W Brown & P Marginson & J Welsh, 2001. "The Management of Pay as the Influence of Collective Bargaining Diminishes," ESRC Centre for Business Research - Working Papers wp213, ESRC Centre for Business Research. [Downloadable!]
  7. Tom Clark & Jayne Taylor, 1999. "Income inequality: a tale of two cycles?," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 20(4), pages 387-408, December. [Downloadable!]
  8. B. T. Hirsch & D. A. Macpherson, . "Wages, racial composition, and quality sorting in labor markets," Institute for Research on Poverty Discussion Papers 1038-94, University of Wisconsin Institute for Research on Poverty. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Olympia Bover & Samuel Bentolila & Manuel Arellano, 2000. "The Distribution of Earnings in Spain During the 1980s: the Effects of Skill, Unemployment, and Union Power," Banco de España Working Papers 0015, Banco de España. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Alan B. Krueger, 1991. "How Computers Have Changed the Wage Structure: Evidence From Microdata, 1984-1989," NBER Working Papers 3858, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Jeff Borland, 2000. "Economic Explanations of Earnings Distribution Trends in the International Literature and Application to New Zealand," Treasury Working Paper Series 00/16, New Zealand Treasury. [Downloadable!]
  12. Hübler, Olaf & Meyer, Wolfgang, 2000. "Industrial Relations and the Wage Differentials between Skilled and Unskilled Blue-Collar Workers within Establishments: An Empirical Analysis with Data of Manufacturing Firms," IZA Discussion Papers 176, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  13. Donna Brown & Peter Ingram & Jonathan Wadsworth, 2004. "Everyone's A Winner? Union Effects on Persistence in Private Sector Wage Settlements: Longitudinal Evidence from Britain," Department of Economics Discussion Papers 1104, Department of Economics, University of Surrey. [Downloadable!]
  14. Steve Machin & Amanda Gosling, 1994. "What happened to the wages of men since the mid-1960s," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 15(4), pages 63-87, November. [Downloadable!]
  15. Thomas Lemieux, 2008. "The changing nature of wage inequality," Journal of Population Economics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 21-48, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Statt, A.L., 1998. "Great Prospects: Employer Provided Training as a Credible Screening Device," Working Papers Series 9802, University of Stirling, Department of Economics.
  17. Stephen Donald & David Green & Harry Paarsch, . "Differences in Earnings and Wage Distributions between Canada and the United States: An Application of a Semi-Parametric Estimator of Distribution Functions with Covariates," Working Papers _003, University of California at Berkeley, Econometrics Laboratory Software Archive. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  18. Richard B. Freeman, 2000. "Single Peaked Vs. Diversified Capitalism: The Relation Between Economic Institutions and Outcomes," NBER Working Papers 7556, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  19. John DiNardo & Kevin Hallock & Jorn-Steffen Pischke, 1997. "Unions and Managerial Pay," NBER Working Papers 6318, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  20. David Card, 1998. "Falling Union Membership and Rising Wage Inequality: What's the Connection?," NBER Working Papers 6520, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? All RePEc services are meant to be be free forever, as they are all run by volunteers.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-25.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.