Workers' Earnings and Corporate Economic Structure

1st Edition - January 28, 1983
Author: Randy Hodson
Language: English
eBook ISBN:
9 7 8 - 1 - 4 8 3 2 - 6 1 0 1 - 0

Workers' Earnings and Corporate Economic Structure investigates the role of economic structure in determining employees' earnings and how workplace organization contributes to… Read more

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Workers' Earnings and Corporate Economic Structure investigates the role of economic structure in determining employees' earnings and how workplace organization contributes to social inequality. The study focuses on the characteristics of the organization of capital rather than on different management styles or systems. Earnings as a key labor force outcome are examined at both the industry and company levels of economic organization. Comprised of nine chapters, this volume begins with an overview of economic explanations for the diversity of wage labor in advanced capitalist countries, and whether the labor market in the United States is structured by the organizational characteristics of capital. The discussion then turns to the dual economy model of industrial structure; an alternative resource approach to the study of organizational structure and labor segmentation; and enterprise- and industry-level sectoral models of economic structure. Subsequent chapters explore the relationship between the sectoral models and poverty, class position, and racial and gender groups; the ability of the sectoral models to explain workers' earnings and select continuous-variable models of the impact of economic structure on workers' earnings; earnings determination within economic sectors; and the impact of economic structure across class, occupational, and status groups. The final chapter offers concluding thoughts and reflections and integrates the insights derived from the study of industrial structure with themes from the broader field of social stratification. This book will be of interest to economists, sociologists, and workers and industry officials.

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Acknowledgments

1. Industrial Structure and the American Worker

Introduction

Is There a Homogeneous Labor Market?

The Question of Economic "Dualism"

A Resource Perspective

Enterprise or Industry as the Unit of Analysis?

A Strategy of Analysis

What Can Be Expected from This Study?

Organization of the Volume

Notes

2. Theories of Economic Segmentation

Neoclassical Economics

Marxism

Institutional Economics

Labor Economics

The Sociology of Labor Markets

The Dual Economy Model

A Sympathetic Critique of the Dual Economy Model

Conclusions

Notes

3. A Resource Theory off Organizational Structure

A Revised History of Industrial Structure

A Resource Approach to the Study of Industrial Structure

Exploring Economic Structure and Labor Market Outcomes

What We Expect to Find

Conclusions

Notes

4. Industry and Enterprise Data and Measures

Introduction

Industry Data

Company Data

Individual-Level Variables Extracted from the Wisconsin Survey and the Current Population Survey

The Sample to Be Studied

Conclusions: The Task of Collecting Company and Industry Data

Notes

5. Distribution of Poverty, Union Membership, Class Positions, and Race and Gender Groups Across Economic Sectors

Poverty

Union Membership

Class Positions

Race

Gender

Conclusions

Notes

6. Enterprise· and Industry-Level Models off Employees' Earnings

Introduction

A Sectoral Industry Model

A Continuous-Variable Industry Model

Application of Industry-Level Models to the Wisconsin Sample and the Restricted Current Population Survey Sample

A Sectoral Company Model

A Continuous-Variable Company Model

Comparison of Company- and Industry-Level Results

Conclusions

Notes

7. Economic Structure and the Individual Earnings Attainment Process

Introduction

Evaluation of the Industry-Level Model

Evaluation of the Company-Level Model

Social Background and Economic Structure as Determinants of Individual Earnings

Conclusions

Notes

8. Earnings Attainment Across Economic Sectors, Classes, and Race and Gender Groups

Earnings Returns to Education within Economic Sectors

Class Inequality within Economic Sectors

Economic Structure for Whom?

Conclusions

Notes

9. Conclusions

Summary of Findings

The Study of Labor Force Outcomes and Corporate Structure

Policy Considerations

Appendix A. Industry Variables

Appendix B. Company Variables

Appendix C. The Operationalization of Class

Appendix D. Supplementary Tables

References

Index