Joan Daouli

Firm‐Level Collective Bargaining and Wages in Greece: A Quantile Decomposition Analysis

This article analyzes the effect of firm‐level contracting on the wage structure in the Greek private sector. Using a matched employer–employee dataset for 2006, unconditional quantile regressions and relevant decomposition methods, we identify a wage premium associated with firm‐level contracting, which follows a hump‐shaped profile across the wage distribution. Further, the wage differential between workers under firm‐level and broader‐level collective agreements can be primarily attributed to the differences in the regime‐specific wage setting structure, for those below the median of the unconditional wage distribution, and to differences in worker and firm‐specific characteristics for those in the upper tail.

Obesity persistence and duration dependence: Evidence from a cohort of US adults (1985–2010)

This study investigates dynamic patterns of obesity persistence and identifies the determinants of obesity-spell exits and re-entries. We utilize longitudinal data from the NLSY79 covering the period 1985-2010. Non-parametric techniques are applied to investigate the relationship between exit from obesity and spell duration. Multivariate discrete hazard models are also estimated, taking into account duration dependence and observed and time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity. In all cases, the probability of exiting obesity is inversely related to the duration of the obesity spell. Without controlling for unobserved heterogeneity, the probability of exit after one wave in obesity is 31.5 per cent; it is reduced to 3.8 per cent after seven or more waves. When time-invariant unobserved heterogeneity is taken into account, the estimated probabilities are slightly larger and broadly similar (36.8 and 10.3, respectively), which suggests that the identified negative duration dependence is not primarily due to composition effects. The obtained results indicate that public health interventions targeting the newly obese may be particularly effective at reducing incidence of long durations of obesity.

Child Care Costs and Employment Decisions of Greek Women

We investigate the effects of child care costs on womens labor market decisions. Decisions regarding labor force participation and non-maternal child care are jointly estimated. Employing data from the 1998/99 Household Budget Survey and using a bivariate probit with sample selection and a binomial probit for labor force participation, a strong negative relationship between participation and paying for care is identified. The results indicate that the estimated hourly cost of child care affects negatively the probability of participation. Nevertheless, it appears that offered market wages and the financial situation of the household play a more vital role than the cost of child care in the labor market decisions of Greek mothers, ceteris paribus.

The Establishment-Size Wage Premium in Greece

In this paper we examine the establishment-size wage premium in Greece using a matched employee-employer dataset. The results of the econometric estimation suggest that indeed such a premium is present in the Greek market sector, too. Its magnitude is in line with those reported in other economies. Human capital, compensating wage differentials/incentive payment schemes and internal labor markets seem to be primarily responsible for the presence of the premium in question. Furthermore, the premium in manufacturing is substantially higher than the one in the services sector, indicating that employers in the former enjoy economics of scale, which eventually lead to higher wages, ceteris paribus. Nevertheless, a sizeable part of the premium remains unexplained.