Episode 28: Female-Friendly Jobs: the Power of Unions -- with Lorenzo Lagos

In this episode, Mathilde studies whether jobs supplied locally are protected from globalization and how trade liberalization interacts with labor market regulations and affects wage inequality. Working Paper: “International Trade Responses to Labor Market Regulations” Most recent version (February 2023): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tuVIbzn9QbplrtmfQalpVGcP3QfC-Xal/view Recommendation: “Has Globalization Gone Too Far?” (1997) Dani Rodrik

In this episode, Pamela Medina Quispe explores the idea that trade liberalization in Peru negatively impacts women’s participation in the labor market. She points to the increasing presence of the manufacturing industry as a force which is pushing women into an unstable, informal sector. Working Paper: "When Women's Work Disappears: Marriage and Fertility Decisions in Peru”, with Hani Mansour and Andrea Velás Most recent version (January 2023): https://www.dropbox.com/s/qq1f6prrx84q4jr/DraftMMVJan23_topost.pdf?dl=0 Recommendation: “Paco Yunque” (1951) by César Vallejo

Does trade reduce wages? Why? In this episode, Mayara Felix considers the impact of trade liberalization on workers’ wages, and their ability to find gainful employment. Using the example of Brazil, Mayara argues that trade affects a key economic variable: labor market concentration, and explores its consequences on wage inequality. Working Paper: “Trade, Labor Market Concentration, and Wages” Most recent version (October 2022): https://www.mayarafelix.com/papers/Felix_JMP.pdf Recommendations: “The Second Mother,” by Anna Muylaert (2015) "This Earth of Mankind” (1980) by Pramoedya Ananta Toer

In this episode, Marie Beigelman speaks about the intergenerational traumas and economic gaps borne of slavery and forced labors in the Caribbean—Guadeloupe and Martinique, specifically. She tells us about her ongoing research exploring the effects of slavery on family units’ development and access to economic opportunity. Working Paper: “Intergenerational Impact of Labor Coercion” https://mariebeigelman.github.io/research/ Recommendation: “Les Rivières”, by Mai Hua (2019) https://lesrivieres.maihua.fr/en/

In this episode, Marlon Seror explores how one of the most radical social transformations in recent human history affected economic inequality in China. He demonstrates that inequality persisted despite two revolutions in the same century. Working Paper: “Persistence Despite Revolutions”, with Alberto Alesina, David Y. Yang, Yang You and Weihong Zeng Most recent version (August 2022): https://marlonseror.github.io/papers/PersistenceDespiteRevolutions.pdf Recommendation: “To Live” (1992) by Hua Yu

In this episode, Jonathan Colmer explores the intergenerational effects of environmental pollution on economic opportunity. He tells us about his work as co-founder of the Environmental Inequality Lab where he uses census data to determine the link between exposure to air pollution pre-birth and in early childhood of an individual and the economic outcomes of their offspring. Working Paper: “Air Pollution and Economic Opportunity in the United States”, with John Voorheis and Brennan Williams Most recent version (July 2022): https://drive.google.com/file/d/19zLlSTaSJgs1c3FSHo2_l1xUmgSBJuq2/view Recommendations: “From the Inside Out: The Fight for Environmental Justice Within Government Agencies” (2019) by Jill Lindsey Harrison Banzhaf, Spencer, Lala Ma, and Christopher Timmins. 2019. “Environmental Justice: The Economics of Race, Place, and Pollution.” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33 (1): 185-208. DOI: 10.1257/jep.33.1.185 Currie, Janet, and Reed Walker. 2019. “What Do Economists Have to Say about the Clean Air Act 50 Years after the Establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency?” Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33 (4): 3-26. DOI: 10.1257/jep.33.4.3

Over the past few decades, the raw gender pay gap in the U.S. has decreased significantly. Nonetheless, the residual pay gap, or the chunk of the pay gap that cannot be explained by gender differences, remains the same. Meanwhile, there is extensive research showing that women continue to have lower salary expectations than men - a fact that raises questions about the relationship between women’s salary expectations and the residual pay gap. In this episode, Nina Roussille talks to us about the ask gap, a concept that measures the extent to which women ask for lower salaries in comparison to men. Using data from an online recruitment platform in the U.S., she explains how the ask gap can be used to explain wage inequality.

In this episode, Xiaoyue Shan discusses her research on the ways in which minority status causes women to leave male-dominated fields. She tells us about a field experiment as part of which she examined how gender impacted dropout rates in an introductory economics course, and how she found that female students with higher math achievement and academic potential were nonetheless more likely than male students to drop out of the course. Working Paper: « The Minority Trap: Minority Status Drives Women Out of Male-Dominated Fields » Most recent version  https://sites.google.com/view/xiaoyueshan/research?authuser=0 Recommendation:

In recent decades, gender-based discrimination in the workplace has become a symbol of women’s fight for equality. In parallel, the role of unions in supporting underrepresented workers has grown into an unmatched tool to address inequity and intolerance. In this episode, Lorenzo Lagos tells us about his ongoing work on the power of unions in creating more female-friendly jobs. Looking at the bargaining strategy of Brazil’s largest trade union federation, he finds that including more gender-based quotas and female-centric amenities (childcare, maternity leave, etc.) highly contributes to making workplaces more accessible to women. Working Paper: « Collective Bargaining for Women: How Unions Create Female-Friendly Jobs », with Viola Corradini and Garima Sharma Most recent version (September 2022): https://www.dropbox.com/s/l27gndy0mxyyuze/CBFWpaperCLS.pdf?dl=0 Recommendation: “The Boss of it All”, by Lars Von Trier (2006) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0469754/

Starting Wednesday, September 14th, InequaliTalks is starting its first spotlight series. To begin, we will be looking at gender inequality and interviewing three scholars whose research looks at the intersection of economics and patterns of gender inequality: Lorenzo Lagos, Xiaoyue Shan and Nina Roussille. Make sure to tune in!