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The Evolution of the Earnings Distribution in a Volatile Economy: Evidence from Argentina

Author

Listed:
  • Andres Blanco

    (University of Michigan)

  • Bernardo Diaz de Astarloa

    (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP and UBA)

  • Andres Drenik

    (Columbia University)

  • Christian Moser

    (Columbia University)

  • Danilo Trupkin

    (UBA)

Abstract

This paper studies earnings inequality and dynamics in Argentina between 1996 and 2015. Following the 2001–2002 crisis, the Argentine economy transitioned from a low- to a highinflation regime. At the same time, the number of collective bargaining agreements increased, and minimum wage adjustments became more frequent. We document that this macroeconomic transition was associated with a persistent decrease in the dispersion of real earnings and cyclical movements in higher-order moments of the distribution of earnings innovations. To understand this transition at the micro level, we estimate processes of regular wage adjustments within job spells. As the Argentine economy transitioned from low to high inflation, the monthly frequency of regular wage adjustments almost doubled, while the distribution of changes in regular wages morphed from having a mode close to zero and being positively skewed to having a positive mode and being more symmetric.

Suggested Citation

  • Andres Blanco & Bernardo Diaz de Astarloa & Andres Drenik & Christian Moser & Danilo Trupkin, 2021. "The Evolution of the Earnings Distribution in a Volatile Economy: Evidence from Argentina," CEDLAS, Working Papers 0280, CEDLAS, Universidad Nacional de La Plata.
    • Handle: RePEc:dls:wpaper:0280
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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