Meritocracy in America: An Examination of Wages Within and Across Occupations
(1688 K)
|
NBER Working Paper No. 6446
Issued in March 1998
NBER Program(s): LS
In The Bell Curve, Herrnstein and Murray argue that the U.S. economy is a meritocracy in which differences in wages (including differences across race and gender) are explained by differences in cognitive ability. In this paper we test their claim for wages conditional on occupation using a simultaneous model of occupation choice and wage determination. Our results contradict Herrnstein and Murray's claim that the U.S. labor market operates only on meritocratic principles.
Published: Cawley, John, James Heckman and Edward Vytlacil. "Meritocracy in America: An Examination of Wages Within and Across Occupations." Industrial Relations, July 1999, 38(3): 250-296.
This paper is available as PDF (1688 K) or via email.
Machine-readable bibliographic record -
MARC,
RIS,
BibTeX
|
|
|
About
Support
The research activities of the NBER are funded by grants from federal research agencies, by private foundations, and by generous donations from our corporate associates and from private individuals. The NBER is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization. For information on supporting the NBER, please contact:
Mr. Denis Healy, Director of Development
NBER
1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138-5398
ph: 617-868-3900
email: dhealy@nber.org
Close
