Neil O. Alper

Toward a Unified Theory of the Determinants of the Earnings of Artists

Since the inception of the field of cultural economics, researchers have sought to understand the unusual characteristics of the labor market for artists. In this paper, we attempt to reconcile the different explanations of the earnings of artists in the United States that have been advanced over the past fifteen years. As we will show, the differences in their explanations are often based on the use of different data sources. However, alternative theories about the underlying utility maximization process of artists as workers still exist.

Moonlighting Husbands or Working Wives An Economic Analysis

In households where the husband is the primary income earner, family income may be augmented either by the husband taking a second job (moonlighting) or by the wife obtaining a first job. In this article, binary logit estimating techniques are employed to investigate empirically the types of factors affecting this decision. The data used in the empirical analysis are Wave X (1977) of the University of Michigans Panel Study of Income Dynamics. The authors find that the relative labor market opportunities of the husband and the wife, the value of the alternative uses of the wifes time, and the attitudes of both the husband and the wife toward the wifes market work all play a significant and predictable role as determinants of moonlighting. The policy implications of these findings are discussed.