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Wage-Setting Measures: A Survey and Assessment

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2011

Lane Kenworthy
Lane Kenworthy
Affiliation:
Emory University
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Extract

Wage setting has been one of the most heavily studied institutions in the field of comparative political economy over the past two decades, and quantitative measures of wage-setting arrangements have played a major role in this research. Yet the proliferation of such measures in recent years presents researchers with a sizable array from which to choose. In addition, some scholars are rather skeptical about the validity and/or reliability of these measures. This article offers a survey and assessment of fifteen wage-setting measures. It attempts to answer questions about (1) how these indicators differ from one another in conceptualization and measurement strategy; (2) which are the most valid and reliable; (3) the strengths and weaknesses of measures of wage centralization versus those of wage coordination; (4) particular countries or time periods for which there are noteworthy discrepancies in scoring; (5) how sensitive empirical findings are to the choice of wage-setting measure.

Type
Research Article
Information
World Politics , Volume 54 , Issue 1 , October 2001 , pp. 57 - 98
Copyright
Copyright © Trustees of Princeton University 2001

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References

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14 Iversen (fn. 9), 49.

15 Ibid., 84–85.

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