Impact of Cultural Diversity on Wages and Job Satisfaction in England

This paper combines individual data from the British Household Panel Survey and yearly population estimates for England to analyse the impact of cultural diversity on individual wages and on different aspects of job satisfaction. Do people living in more diverse areas have higher wages and job satisfaction after controlling for other observable characteristics? The results show that cultural diversity is positively associated with wages, but only when cross-section data are used. Panel data estimations show that there is no impact of diversity. Using instrumental variables to account for endogeneity also show that diversity has no impact.Cultural Diversity, Wages, Job Satisfaction.

The effects of agglomeration on wages: evidence from the micro-level

This paper estimates individual wage equations in order to test two rival non-nested theories of economic agglomeration, namely New Economic Geography (NEG), as represented by the NEG wage equation and urban economic (UE) theory , in which wages relate to employment density. The paper makes an original contribution by evidently being the first empirical paper to examine the issue of agglomeration processes associated with contemporary theory working with micro-level data, highlighting the role of gender and other individual-level characteristics. For male respondents, there is no significant evidence that wage levels are an outcome of the mechanisms suggested by NEG or UE theory, but this is not the case for female respondents. We speculate on the reasons for the gender difference.urban economics, new economic geography, household panel data.

Explaining Differences in Job Search Outcomes Between Employed and Unemployed Job Seekers

We use individual data for Great Britain over the period 1992-2009 to compare the probability that employed and unemployed job seekers find a job and the quality of the job they find. The job finding rate of unemployed job seekers is 50 percent higher than that of employed job seekers, and this difference remains even when controlling for differences in observable worker characteristics and job search behaviour. We present evidence suggesting that these differences in the job finding probability is caused by behavioural differences between employed and unemployed job seekers rather than differences in characteristics. Consistent with search theory, we find that employed job seekers are more selective in evaluating job offers and are therefore less likely to find a job offer acceptable; for example, they are less likely to accept low-wage and temporary jobs, or jobs that do not meet their working hour requirements.on-the-job search, unemployment, job-finding rate

Occupational Change in Britain and Germany

We use British and German panel data to analyse job changes involving a change in occupation. We assess: (1) the extent of occupational change, taking into account the possibility of measurement error in occupational codes; (2) whether job changes within the occupation differ from occupation changes in terms of the characteristics of those making such switches; and (3) the effects of the two kinds of moves in terms of wages and job satisfaction. We find that occupation changes differ from other job changes, generally reflecting a less satisfactory employment situation, but also that the move in both cases is positive in respect of change in wages and job satisfaction.Job change, occupation change, Britain, Germany

Employed and Unemployed Job Seekers: Are They Substitutes?

The job search literature suggests that on-the-job search reduces the probability of unemployed people finding a job. However, there is no evidence that employed and unemployed job seekers are similar or apply for the same jobs. We combine the Labour Force Survey and the British Household Panel Survey to compare employed and unemployed job seekers in terms of individual characteristics, preferences over working hours, job-search strategies, and employment histories. We find substantial differences, which persist over the business cycle and remain after controlling for unobserved heterogeneity. We conclude that the unemployed do not directly compete with employed job seekers.on-the-job search, unemployment, job competition, employment histories, panel data

ON-THE-JOB SEARCH: AMOUNT, REGIONAL, AND CYCLICAL VARIATION. EVIDENCE FROM GREAT BRITAIN

Recent theoretical and empirical models of job search and job matching include on-the-job search as one of the relevant variables and implicitly or explicitly assume that on-the-job search increases in periods of growth and decreases in economic downturns. Because of lack of suitable data, however, such assumptions have not yet been tested empirically. This paper uses individual data from the British quarterly Labour Force Survey to estimate the number and the proportion of employed people engaging in on-the-job search, how these vary across regions, and over the business cycle. These measures of on-the-job search are also compared to proxy measures commonly used in the literature, such as job-to-job moves

Residential energy use and the relevance of changes in household circumstances

We use a panel of UK households to analyse the impact that various individual, household and dwelling characteristics have on energy expenditures and whether changes in household socio-economic circumstances translate in changes in energy expenditures. Socio-economic characteristics have a moderate impact on per-capita energy expenditures, while dwelling characteristics and especially household size have much larger impacts in magnitude. Similarly, the largest changes in energy expenditures are related to changes in household size rather than to changes in other socio-economic and dwelling characteristics. The recent socio-demographic trends will make it harder to design policies to effectively reduce the carbon footprint of a country, while policies influencing cohabitation and family size may have positive indirect effects

Cultural diversity and subjective well-being

This paper analyses the impact that diversity has on life satisfaction of people living in England. In England, and in many other countries, local communities are becoming more diverse in terms of country of birth, ethnicity and religion of residents, with unclear consequences on the well-being of people living in these communities. The results suggest that white British people living in diverse areas have on average lower levels of life satisfaction than those living in areas where diversity is low, while there is no correlation on average between diversity and life satisfaction for non-white British people and foreign born

Racial wage differentials in developed countries

In many developed countries racial and ethnic minorities are paid on average less than the white majority. While racial wage differentials are partly due to immigration, they also exist for racial minorities of second or further generation. Eliminating racial wage differentials and promoting equal opportunities among citizens with different racial backgrounds is an important social policy goal. Inequalities resulting from differences in opportunities lead to a waste of talent for those who cannot reach their potential and to a waste of resources if some people cannot contribute fully to society

Individual pro-environmental behaviour in the household context

This paper exploits a new large data source on environmental behaviours and attitudes of people living in the UK to analyse to what extent the household context affects pro- environmental behaviours at the individual and household levels. The results suggest that singles and people living in couples without children have higher pro-environmental behaviour than people living in couples with children. Individual pro-environmental behaviour is affected by partner's attitudes and behaviours, and both partners are equally relevant for household decisions. The results also show a positive correlation between concerns about the environment and pro-environmental behaviours