Population Center Research Themes: Labor
About Labor
Work is a prime human activity, no less so in contemporary market economies than in traditional societies. In the United States, current trends that emphasize individual responsibility for personal and family welfare, make market work most families’ main source of income. Unemployment is a major concern of economic and social policy. Retirement choices affect public and private pension plans. Occupational health and safety are serious public policy matters and sources of liability for public and private employers. Who works and their earnings affect the health and well-being of workers’ dependent children. Employment prospects, plans, and behaviors are bound up with men’s and, especially, women’s marriage and fertility plans and aspirations. Who works, where and for how long is inextricably linked to trends in population health, family and immigration.
BPC affiliates studying the demography of labor are primarily concerned with:
- Labor Force Participation, Unemployment and Retirement
- Wage Structures
- Social Mobility
- Human Capital Formation
Labor Research Projects
Project Title: Changes in Income Inequality and Cost of Living
BPC Affiliate: Enrico Moretti
Funding: BPC
Other Themes: Innovative Methods, Family
Description: The goal of this pilot project is to re-examine how inequality is measured and how it is interpreted. The increase in inequality is typically measured using nominal wages. However, a better measure of inequality should reflect differences in the cost of living that different workers are exposed to and should therefore be based on real wages. It’s important therefore to assess how existing estimates of inequality change when differences in the cost of living are taken into account. Differences in cost of living arise from differences in cost of housing across areas and difference in the consumption of non-housing goods and services. Not all workers are exposed to the same changes in cost of living because (i) they may not live in the same areas and therefore they may experience different changes in housing prices; (ii) they may not consume the same bundle of goods and (iii) may not have access to the same set of retailers.
Project Title: Longitudinal surveys of youth geocode program
BPC Affiliate: Michael Hout
Funding: US Dept of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics
Other Themes: Family, Historical Demography, Innovative Methods
Description:
