This note describes and illustrates a new Stata program, gmmcovearn, that estimates the covariance structure of earnings for a variety of models using the GMM estimator. The program estimates models that incorporate time factor loadings and cohort factor loadings on both the transitory and...

Reliable measures of obesity are essential in order to develop effective policies to tackle the costs of obesity. We examine what, if anything, we can learn about obesity rates using self-reported BMI once we allow for possible measurement error. Existing approaches that correct for...

This paper uses data on 9 year old Irish children to examine the determinants of mathematical achievement among young children. We find that boys perform better in maths than girls and that this gender gap is driven by differences at the top of the achievement distribution. While there is no...

There is considerable debate about the role of wage rigidity in explaining unemployment. Despite a large body of empirical work, no consensus has emerged on the extent of wage rigidity. Previous attempts to empirically examine wage rigidity have been hampered by small samples and measurement...

This paper examines the relationship between aggregate inequality and its underlying components for a number of European countries. We use a well established GMM approach to separate the permanent component from the transitory component of earnings inequality. Our results show that three...

In this paper we study the performance of the GMM estimator in the context of the covariance structure of earnings. Using analytical and Monte Carlo techniques we examine the sensitivity of parameter identification to key features such as panel length, sample size, the degree of persistence of...

This paper provides a detailed description of recent trends in inequality and poverty in Ireland. To date most of the analysis of inequality and poverty in Ireland has used cross-section data on income. We supplement the information on income with detailed data on individual expenditure taken...

In this paper we use a semi-parmaetric procedure developed by DiNardo et al(1996),to examine the distribution of the racial wage gap in the U.S and to examine the extent to which forces underlying this wage gap vary throughout the distribution. In carrying out our analyses, we focus on recent...

Several papers have examined the intergenerational transmission of well being by looking at the relationship between parents' and children's income. However, by concentrating on those who are working these studies exclude some of the very poorest in society, the long-term unemployed. In this...

the persistence of poverty remains a major concern of policy makers. Despite this concern there has been little empirical work examining the issue. In this paper we provide estimates of poverty persistence in the U.K. by examining the degree of intergenerational mobility. Our findings support...