This paper studies the changes in earnings inequality. It also examines the causes and consequences of this changes.

Evidence from a range of countries suggests the existence of a "wage curve" -an inverse relation between earnings of individual workers and the rate of unemployment in the region in which they live. If such a relation does exist it has important implications for labour market theory and policy....

My lecture is about the needs of the low paid as a criterion in wage determination. I am concerned about the meaning given to needs and the manner in which they affect wage outcomes. The central issue is this. Does a regard for the needs of the low paid lead simply to an endeavour to maintain...

I explore the voting patterns of trade union members in Australian elections conducted between 1966 and 2004, and find that on average, 63 percent of trade union members vote for the Australian Labor Party. Despite the fact that union membership declined from around one-half of the workforce in...

The relative costs of taking employment or receiving welfare are usually understood through comparisons of a person’s social security entitlements and their wage alternative, known as replacement rates. In some situations it appears that the additional income from working is negligible, and...