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New Market Power Models and Sex Differences in Pay

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Author Info
Michael R. Ransom (Brigham Young University and IZA)
Ronald L. Oaxaca (University of Arizona and IZA)

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Abstract

In the context of certain general equilibrium search models, it is possible to infer the elasticity of labor supply to the firm from the elasticity of the quit rate with respect to the wage. We use this framework to estimate the elasticity of labor supply for men and women workers at a chain of grocery stores operating in the southwestern United States, identifying separation elasticities from differences in wages and separation rates across different job titles within the firm. We estimate elasticities of labor supply to the firm of about 2.7 for men and about 1.5 for women, suggesting significant wage-setting power for the firm. Since women have lower elasticities of labor supply to the firm, a Robinson-style monopsony model might explain lower relative pay of women in the grocery industry. The wage gaps we observe among workers in US retail grocery stores are close to what the monopsony model predicts for the elasticities we have estimated.

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Paper provided by Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section. in its series Working Papers with number 1110.

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Date of creation: Dec 2008
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Handle: RePEc:pri:indrel:1110

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Keywords: monopsony papers;

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  1. Michael Ransom & Ronald L. Oaxaca, 2005. "Intrafirm mobility and sex differences in pay," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 58(2), pages 219-237, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Boris Hirsch & Thorsten Schank & Claus Schnabel, 2006. "Gender Differences in Labor Supply to Monopsonistic Firms: An Empirical Analysis Using Linked Employer-Employee Data from Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 2443, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
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  3. Parsons, Donald O, 1972. "Specific Human Capital: An Application to Quit Rates and Layoff Rates," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 80(6), pages 1120-43, Nov.-Dec.. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. William M. Boal & Michael R. Ransom, 1997. "Monopsony in the Labor Market," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 35(1), pages 86-112, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Bowlus, Audra J, 1997. "A Search Interpretation of Male-Female Wage Differentials," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(4), pages 625-57, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Mortensen, Dale T. & Vishwanath, Tara, 1994. "Personal contacts and earnings : It is who you know!," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 1(2), pages 187-201, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Bhaskar, V & To, Ted, 1999. "Minimum Wages for Ronald McDonald Monopsonies: A Theory of Monopsonistic Competition," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 109(455), pages 190-203, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Francine D. Blau & Larry M. Kahn, 1981. "Race and sex differences in quits by young workers," Industrial and Labor Relations Review, ILR Review, ILR School, Cornell University, vol. 34(4), pages 563-577, July.
  9. Erling Barth & Harald Dale-Olsen, 1999. "Monopsonistic Discrimination and the Gender-Wage Gap," NBER Working Papers 7197, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Peter Kuhn, 2004. "Is monopsony the right way to model labor markets? a review of Alan Manning's monopsony in motion," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 11(3), pages 369-378, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Bontemps, Christian & Robin, Jean-Marc & Van den Berg, Gerard J, 1999. "An Empirical Equilibrium Job Search Model with Search on the Job and Heterogeneous Workers and Firms," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 40(4), pages 1039-74, November.
  12. Burdett, Kenneth & Mortensen, Dale T, 1998. "Wage Differentials, Employer Size, and Unemployment," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 39(2), pages 257-73, May.
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  1. Jeremy T. Fox, 2009. "Estimating the Employer Switching Costs and Wage Responses of Forward-Looking Engineers," Working Papers 1113, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
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