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The great divergence(s)

Author

Listed:
  • Giuseppe Berlingieri
  • Patrick Blanchenay
  • Chiara Criscuolo

Abstract

This report provides new evidence on the increasing dispersion in wages and productivity using novel micro-aggregated firm-level data from 16 countries. First, the report documents an increase in wage and productivity dispersions, for both manufacturing and market services (excluding the financial sector). Second, it shows that these trends are driven by differences within rather than across sectors, and that the increase in dispersion is mainly driven by the bottom of the distribution, while divergence at the top occurs only in the service sector, and only after 2005. Third, it suggests that between-firm wage dispersion is linked to increasing differences between high and low productivity firms. Fourth, it suggests that both globalisation and digitalisation imply higher wage divergence, but strengthen the link between productivity and wage dispersion. Finally, it offers preliminary analysis of the impact of minimum wage, employment protection legislation, trade union density, and coordination in wage setting on wage dispersion and its link to productivity dispersion.

Suggested Citation

  • Giuseppe Berlingieri & Patrick Blanchenay & Chiara Criscuolo, 2017. "The great divergence(s)," CEP Discussion Papers dp1488, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    • Handle: RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp1488
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    dispersion; productivity; sorting; wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D2 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations
    • J3 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs

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    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

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