An unrecognized problem is examined in a frequently used method for decomposing earnings functions in the measurement of discrimination. The conventional method decomposes changes in the log of the geometric mean of the distribution, as opposed to the correct quantity, which is the change in the...

This paper lends support to the political explanation for the observed rising wage inequality in Britain in the 1980s and early 1990s. The decline of collective bargaining and other changes in pay arrangements during this time have been to the disadvantage of the low paid. We seek support using...

Using data from the General Household Survey 1973-95, it is shown that there were substantial differences between the earnings of whites and nonwhites in the self-employment sector of the British labour market over the period. Fitting a model of earnings determination which takes account of...

The paper uses the first five waves of the British Household Panel Survey to explore the dynamics of the labour market experience of Britain's ethnic minorities relative to the white majority. The issue to be explored is labour market transitions. Ethnic minorities are shown to exhibit greater...