In behavioural economics, studies have suggested individuals value the concept of reciprocity. If people are kind to us, we have a greater tendency to respond in kind – behaving more altruistically than self-interest theory suggests. Reciprocity can also work in a negative sense, with agents willing to ‘punish’ those who abuse the ‘rules of the …
Discrimination in the labour market occurs when employers make decisions on wages and employment based on prejudices, such as race, gender, religion. It can lead to variations in wages for the same job and different employment rates. Kenneth Arrow defined discrimination as: “the valuation in the market-place of personal characteristics of the worker that are …
Definition of Monopsony A monopsony occurs when a firm has market power in employing factors of production (e.g. labour). A monopsony means there is one buyer and many sellers. It often refers to a monopsony employer – who has market power in hiring workers. This is a similar concept to monopoly where there is one …
A look at the economic impact of an increase in the supply of female workers in labour markets. In summary: Increased female labour market participation will lead to increase in supply of labour, and in theory, could lead to lower wages. However, a gradual increase in female labour market participation is often in response to …
Distribution of income refers to the relative incomes that people have within an economy. For example, in the UK the poorest 10% of people have roughly only 2.5% of the nations total income. The richest 10% have approximately 35%. This suggests there is a degree of relative poverty because the richest have a bigger % …
In the real world, labour markets are rarely perfectly competitive. This is because workers or firms usually have the power to set and influence wages and therefore wages may be set to levels different than anticipated by Marginal Revenue Product (MRP) theory. Imperfections in the labour market cause wages to differ from a competitive equilibrium. …
A look at factors that explain wage inequality – including classical economic theory and labour market imperfections. Readers Question: Idealized free market theory argues that it is automatic for each worker to receive just what he or she is worth; otherwise, an “underpaid” worker could just look elsewhere to bid a higher salary. Could established …
Readers Question: What factors determine the wage that someone receives? Basic economic theory suggests that wages depend on a worker’s marginal revenue product MRP. (this is basically the value that they add to the firm which employs them.) MRP is determined by two factors: MPP – Marginal physical product – the productivity of a worker. …