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! ]

Public Sector Growth and Labor Market Flexibility: The United States vs. The United Kingdom

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Rebecca M. Blank

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

Abstract

This paper investigates whether a larger public sector limits labor market adjustment, using data from the United States and the United Kingdom, two countries with quite different public/private employment trends. The results indicate that the two countries have a similar mix of occupations and workers in the public versus the private sector. Both countries have experienced some overall convergence of the public/private wage differential over the 1980s, although the extent of this differential varies substantially by occupation and gender. Both countries have also seen wage inequality in the public and private sectors increase over the past decade. Variability in public sector employment and wages over time is generally as great as in the private sector, although the cyclical patterns are different. The US public sector, however, seems more responsive to private sector demand changes than does the public sector in the UK. The paper concludes that the public sectors of both countries show a substantial amount of change and adaptation, particularly over the past decade.

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/w4339.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 4339.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length:
Date of creation: Apr 1993
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4339

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:

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
J45 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Public Sector Labor Markets

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. Ichniowski, Casey & Freeman, Richard B & Lauer, Harrison, 1989. "Collective Bargaining Laws, Threat Effects, and the Determination of Police Compensation," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(2), pages 191-209, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Pederson, P. J. & Schmidt-Sorensen, J. B. & Smith, N. & Westergard-Nielsen, N., 1990. "Wage differentials between the public and private sectors," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 125-145, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Lawrence F. Katz & Alan B. Krueger, 1991. "Changes in the Structure of Wages in the Public and Private Sectors," NBER Working Papers 3667, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Rebecca M. Blank, 1985. "An analysis of workers' choice between employment in the public and private sectors," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 38(2), pages 211-224, January.
  5. Richard B. Freeman, 1987. "How Do Public Sector Wages and Employment Respond to Economic Conditions?," NBER Chapters, in: Public Sector Payrolls, pages 183-216 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Auld, D. A. L. & Christofides, L. N. & Swidinsky, R. & Wilton, D. A., 1980. "A microeconomic analysis of wage determination in the Canadian public sector," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(3), pages 369-387, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  7. Dickerson, Andrew P & Stewart, Mark B, 1993. "Is the Public Sector Strike Prone?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 55(3), pages 253-84, August.
  8. Baumol, William J, 1972. "Macroeconomics of Unbalanced Growth: Reply," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(1), pages 150, March.
  9. Joseph Gyourko & Joseph Tracy, 1986. "An Analysis of Public and Private Sector Wages Allowing for Endogenous Choices of Both Government and Union Status," NBER Working Papers 1920, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  10. repec:fth:prinin:282 is not listed on IDEAS
  11. John Vickers & George Yarrow, 1988. "Privatization: An Economic Analysis," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262720116.
  12. Kay, J A & Thompson, D J, 1986. "Privatisation: A Policy in Search of a Rationale," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 96(381), pages 18-32, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Steven F. Venti, 1987. "Wages in the Federal and Private Sectors," NBER Chapters, in: Public Sector Payrolls, pages 147-182 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  14. F Green & Stephen Machin & Alan Manning, 1992. "The Employer Size-Wage Effect: Is Monopsony the Explanation?," CEP Discussion Papers dp0079, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
  15. Ronald G. Ehrenberg & Joshua L. Schwarz, 1987. "Public Sector Labor Markets," NBER Working Papers 1179, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  16. Peter S. Heller & Alan A. Tait, 1983. "Government Employment and Pay: Some International Comparisons," IMF Occasional Papers 24, International Monetary Fund.
  17. Keller, Wouter J., 1981. "Public sector employment and the distribution of income," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 235-249, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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. Nick Adnett, 1998. "The Acquired Rights Directive and Compulsory Competitive Tendering in the UK: An Economic Perspective," European Journal of Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 69-81, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Asma Hyder & Barry Reilly, 2005. "The Public and Private Sector Pay Gap in Pakistan: A Quantile Regression Analysis," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 44(3), pages 271-306. [Downloadable!]
  3. Torberg Falch, 2002. "Wage Bargaining and Employer Objectives," Working Paper Series 2402, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. George C. Bitros & Kyprianos Prodromidis, 2004. "Welfare benefits and the rate of unemployment: some evidence from the European Union in the last thirty years," Macroeconomics 0410004, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  5. Asma Hyder, 2007. "Wage Differentials, Rate of Return to Education, and Occupational Wage Share in the Labour Market of Pakistan," PIDE-Working Papers 2007:17, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Peter Gottschalk, 1997. "The Impact of Changes in Public Employment on Low Wage Labor Markets," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 397, Boston College Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  7. Gabriela Miranda Moriconi & João S. Moura Neto & Nelson Marconi & Paulo Roberto Arvate, 2006. "Evidências Sobre O Comportamento Dos Governos Estaduais Na Determinação Dos Salários Dos Servidores Públicos No Brasil," Anais do XXXIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 34th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 135, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pósgraduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics]. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Want to help out with this project? Look for volunteer opportunities.

This page was last updated on 2009-12-1.

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.