The Minimum Wage and Inequality: The Effects of Education and Technology

Zsofia Barany ()

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Abstract: In the last 30 years wage inequality increased steeply while real minimum wages fell. In this paper I demonstrate that a general equilibrium model with endogenous skill choice is required to correctly evaluate the implications of minimum wage changes. The minimum wage not only truncates the wage distribution, but also affects skill prices and therefore changes the incentives that people face when making educational decisions. The calibrated model suggests, in line with recent empirical literature, that even though minimum wages affect the bottom end of the wage distribution more, their impact on the top end is significant as well.

Keywords: Minimum Wage; Education; Technology; Wage Inequality (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2016-01
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://sciencespo.hal.science/hal-03594158
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Published in Journal of Labor Economics, 2016, pp.1 - 39. ⟨10.1086/682346⟩

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Related works:
Working Paper: The Minimum Wage and Inequality: The Effects of Education and Technology (2016)
Working Paper: The Minimum Wage and Inequality - The Effects of Education and Technology (2011)
Working Paper: The minimum wage and inequality - the effects of education and technology (2011)
Working Paper: The minimum wage and inequality - the effects of education and technology (2011)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-03594158

DOI: 10.1086/682346

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