IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/unm/unumer/2011070.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Earnings Mobility in Europe: 1994-2001 : Do more flexible labour markets experience a higher earnings mobility?

Author

Listed:
  • Denisa Maria Sologon

    (UNU-MERIT/MGSoG, Maastricht University, CEPS/INSTEAD Luxemburg, and IZA Germany)

  • O'Donoghue, Cathal

    (Teagasc, NUI, Ireland)

Abstract

The economic reality of the 1990s in Europe forced the labour markets to become more flexible. Using a consistent comparative dataset for 14 European countries, the European Community Household Panel (ECHP), we explore the evolution and the cross-national differences in earnings mobility across Europe between 1994 and 2001 from three angles: first, the evolution of short-term inequality and its link with cross-sectional inequality; second, the evolution of long-term mobility relative to short-term mobility and the implications for long-term inequality; third, we try to understand the cross-national differences in earnings mobility across Europe by exploring the cross-country heterogeneity in labour market policies/institutions. We explore the rank mobility and mobility as an equalizer of longer-term earnings. We find evidence supporting a negative association between the evolution of earnings inequality and earnings mobility. More flexible labour markets, with low levels of regulation and with a high labour market support are found to have higher earnings mobility. Similarly, unionization and corporatism are positively associated with earnings mobility. The "Flexicurity" countries (Denmark and Finland) have among the highest earnings mobility levels in Europe, close to the Anglo-Saxon countries (Ireland and the UK), whereas the Mediterranean countries with a strict regulation and a low labour market support have the lowest mobility. Portugal is the only country with disequalizing mobility in a long-term perspective

Suggested Citation

  • Denisa Maria Sologon & O'Donoghue, Cathal, 2011. "Earnings Mobility in Europe: 1994-2001 : Do more flexible labour markets experience a higher earnings mobility?," MERIT Working Papers 2011-070, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    • Handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2011070
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/wppdf/2011/wp2011-070.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Peter Gottschalk & Enrico Spolaore, 2002. "On the Evaluation of Economic Mobility," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 69(1), pages 191-208.
    2. Fields, Gary S. & Leary, Jesse B. & Ok, Efe A., 2002. "Stochastic dominance in mobility analysis," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 333-339, May.
    3. Richard V. Burkhauser & John G. Poupore, 1997. "A Cross-National Comparison Of Permanent Inequality In The United States And Germany," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 79(1), pages 10-17, February.
    4. Denisa Maria Sologon & Cathal O'Donoghue, 2009. "Earnings Dynamics and Inequality in EU, 1994-2001," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 184, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    5. Peter Gottschalk, 1997. "Inequality, Income Growth, and Mobility: The Basic Facts," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(2), pages 21-40, Spring.
    6. Roland Benabou & Efe A. Ok, 2000. "Mobility as Progressivity: Ranking Income Processes According to Equality of Opportunity," Working Papers 150, Princeton University, School of Public and International Affairs, Discussion Papers in Economics.
    7. Rolf Aaberge & Anders Björklund & Markus Jäntti & Mårten Palme & Peder J. Pedersen & Nina Smith & Tom Wennemo, 2002. "Income Inequality and Income Mobility in the Scandinavian Countries Compared to the United States," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 48(4), pages 443-469, December.
    8. Sologon, Denisa Maria & O'Donoghue, Cathal, 2009. "Increased Opportunity to Move Up the Economic Ladder? Earnings Mobility in EU: 1994-2001," IZA Discussion Papers 4311, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Sandrine Cazes & Alena Nesporova, 2004. "Labour markets in transition: balancing flexibility and security in Central and Eastern Europe," Revue de l'OFCE, Presses de Sciences-Po, vol. 91(5), pages 23-54.
    10. Burkhauser, Richard V & Holtz-Eakin, Douglas & Rhody, Stephen E, 1997. "Labor Earnings Mobility and Inequality in the United States and Germany during the Growth Years of the 1980s," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 38(4), pages 775-794, November.
    11. Hofer, Helmut & Weber, Andrea, 2002. "Wage mobility in Austria 1986-1996," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(4), pages 563-577, September.
    12. Haider, Steven J, 2001. "Earnings Instability and Earnings Inequality of Males in the United States: 1967-1991," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 19(4), pages 799-836, October.
    13. John Creedy & Mark Wilhelm, 2002. "Income Mobility, Inequality and Social Welfare," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 41(2), pages 140-150, June.
    14. Paul Gregg & Claudia Vittori, 2008. "Exploring Shorrocks Mobility Indices Using European Data," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 08/206, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    15. Shorrocks, Anthony, 1978. "Income inequality and income mobility," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 376-393, December.
    16. Greg J. Duncan & James N. Morgan, 1981. "Sense of Efficacy and Subsequent Change in Earnings-A Replication," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 16(4), pages 649-657.
    17. Teulings,Coen & Hartog,Joop, 2008. "Corporatism or Competition?," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521049399.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Denisa Maria Sologon & Cathal O'Donoghue, 2009. "Equalizing or Disequalizing Lifetime Earnings Differentials?: Earnings Mobility in the EU: 1994-2001," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 251, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    2. Markus Jäntti & Stephen P. Jenkins, 2013. "Income Mobility," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 607, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    3. Garnero, Andrea & Hijzen, Alexander & Martin, Sébastien, 2019. "More unequal, but more mobile? Earnings inequality and mobility in OECD countries," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 26-35.
    4. Stéphane Bonhomme & Jean-Marc Robin, 2009. "Assessing the Equalizing Force of Mobility Using Short Panels: France, 1990-2000," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 76(1), pages 63-92.
    5. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j008g6g0g is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Denisa Maria Sologon & O'Donoghue, Cathal, 2011. "Shaping earnings instability: labour market policy and institutional factors," MERIT Working Papers 2011-077, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    7. Rolf Aaberge & Magne Mogstad, 2009. "On the Measurement of Long-Term Income Inequality and Income Mobility," ICER Working Papers 09-2009, ICER - International Centre for Economic Research.
    8. Ronald Bachmann & Peggy Bechara & Sandra Schaffner, 2016. "Wage Inequality and Wage Mobility in Europe," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 62(1), pages 181-197, March.
    9. Denisa Maria Sologon & Cathal O'Donoghue, 2009. "Increased Opportunity to Move up the Economic Ladder?: Earnings Mobility in EU: 1994-2001," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 221, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    10. Gulgun Bayaz-Ozturk & Tao Chen & Kenneth A. Couch, 2014. "Intragenerational mobility and the ratio of permanent to total inequality," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(36), pages 4399-4408, December.
    11. Rolf Aaberge & Magne Mogstad, 2015. "Inequality in current and lifetime income," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 44(2), pages 217-230, February.
    12. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j008g6g0g is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Sami Bibi & Jean-Yves Duclos & Abdelkrim Araar, 2014. "Mobility, taxation and welfare," Social Choice and Welfare, Springer;The Society for Social Choice and Welfare, vol. 42(3), pages 503-527, March.
    14. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/eu4vqp9ompqllr09j008g6g0g is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Van Kerm, Philippe, 2006. "Comparisons of income mobility profiles," ISER Working Paper Series 2006-36, Institute for Social and Economic Research.
    16. Aretz, Bodo, 2013. "Gender Differences in German Wage Mobility," IZA Discussion Papers 7158, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    17. John Creedy & Elin Halvorsen & Thor O. Thoresen, 2013. "Inequality Comparisons In A Multi-Period Framework: The Role Of Alternative Welfare Metrics," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 59(2), pages 235-249, June.
    18. Riphahn, Regina T. & Schnitzlein, Daniel D., 2016. "Wage mobility in East and West Germany," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(C), pages 11-34.
    19. Audra Bowlus & Jean-Marc Robin, 2008. "An international comparison of lifetime labor income values and inequality: a bounds approach," Sciences Po publications info:hdl:2441/dc0ckec3fcb, Sciences Po.
    20. Aart Kraay & Roy Weide, 2022. "Measuring intragenerational mobility using aggregate data," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 27(2), pages 273-314, June.
    21. Nicholas Rohde & Kam Ki Tang & D.S. Prasada Rao, 2014. "Distributional Characteristics of Income Insecurity in the U.S., Germany, and Britain," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(S1), pages 159-176, May.
    22. Denisa Maria Sologon & Cathal O'Donoghue, 2014. "Shaping Earnings Insecurity: Labor Market Policy and Institutional Factors," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 60(S1), pages 205-232, May.
    23. François Bourguignon, 2011. "Non-anonymous growth incidence curves, income mobility and social welfare dominance," The Journal of Economic Inequality, Springer;Society for the Study of Economic Inequality, vol. 9(4), pages 605-627, December.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    earnings mobility; inequality; distributional change; labour market policies and institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • D39 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Other
    • D63 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Equity, Justice, Inequality, and Other Normative Criteria and Measurement
    • J08 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics Policies
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • O15 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Economic Development: Human Resources; Human Development; Income Distribution; Migration

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:unm:unumer:2011070. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Ad Notten (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/meritnl.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.