Record Nr.

UNINA9910453977703321

Titolo

Small differences that matter [[electronic resource] ] : labor markets and income maintenance in Canada and the United States / / edited by David Card and Richard B. Freeman

Pubbl/distr/stampa


Chicago, : University of Chicago Press, c1993

ISBN

1-282-00478-6

9786612004780

0-226-09289-5

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (288 p.)

Collana

NBER Comparative labor markets series

Altri autori (Persone)

CardDavid E <1956-> (David Edward)

FreemanRichard B <1943-> (Richard Barry)

Disciplina

362.5/82/0971

Soggetti

Income maintenance programs - Canada

Income maintenance programs - United States

Labor market - Canada

Labor market - United States

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Nota di contenuto

Front matter -- Relation of the Directors to the Work and Publications of the National Bureau of Economic Research -- Contents -- Preface -- Introduction -- 1. Immigration Policy, National Origin, and Immigrant Skills: A Comparison of Canada and the United States -- 2. Skill Differentials in Canada in an Era of Rising Labor Market Inequality -- 3. Unions and Wage Inequality in Canada and the United States -- 4. Unionization in Canada and the United States: A Tale of Two Countries -- 5. A Comparative Analysis of Unemployment in Canada and the United States -- 6. Responding to Need: A Comparison of Social Safety Nets in Canada and the United States -- 7. The Distribution of Family Income: Measuring and Explaining Changes in the 1980's for Canada and the United States -- Contributors -- Author Index -- Subject Index

Sommario/riassunto

This volume, the first in a new series by the National Bureau of Economic Research that compares labor markets in different countries, examines social and labor market policies in Canada and the United

States during the 1980's. It shows that subtle differences in unemployment compensation, unionization, immigration policies, and income maintenance programs have significantly affected economic outcomes in the two countries. For example: -Canada's social safety net, more generous than the American one, produced markedly lower poverty rates in the 1980's. -Canada saw a smaller increase in earnings inequality than the United States did, in part because of the strength of Canadian unions, which have twice the participation that U.S. unions do. -Canada's unemployment figures were much higher than those in the United States, not because the Canadian economy failed to create jobs but because a higher percentage of nonworking time was reported as unemployment. These disparities have become noteworthy as policy makers cite the experiences of the other country to support or oppose particular initiatives.