Abstract
That an increase in the minimum wage or minimum wage coverage results in an increase in the incidence of nepotism is empirically tested using 1972 data on job-seeking methods used by American workers. The elasticity of the incidence of nepotism with respect to the level of the minimum wage and minimum wage coverage in 1977 is estimated at between .38 and .68.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alchian, A. and Kessel, R. “Competition, Monopoly, and the Pursuit of Pecuniary Gain.” InAspects of Labor Economics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press (for National Bureau of Economic Research), 1962.
Arrow, K. “Models of Job Discrimination.” InRacial Discrimination in Economic Life, edited by A. Pascal. Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Health, 1972.
_____. “Some Mathematical Models of Race in the Labor Market.” InRacial Discrimination in Economic Life, edited by A. Pascal. Lexington, Mass.: D. C. Health, 1972.
Becker, G. Comments on article by A. Alchian and R. Kessel, “Competition, Monopoly, and the Pursuit of Pecuniary Gain.” InAspects of Labor Economics. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press (for National Bureau of Economic Research), 1962.
_____.The Economics of Discrimination. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957.
Flaim, P. and Peters, N.. “Usual Weekly Earnings of American Workers.”Monthly Labor Review 95 (March 1972): 28–38.
Rees, A. “Information Networks in Labor Markets.”American Economic Review 56 (May 1966): 559–66.
Stiglitz, J. “Approaches to the Economics of Discrimination.”American Economic Review 63 (May 1973): 287–95.
Theil, H.Principles of Econometrics. New York: Wiley, 1971.
U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.Money Income in 1972 of Families and Persons in the United States. Current Population Reports: Consumer Income Series P-60, No. 90. December 1973.
_____.1970 Census of the Population, Subject Report PC(2)-7A,Occupational Characteristics. Washington, D.C.: 1973.
U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics.Employment and Earnings, United States, 1909–1975, Bulletin 1312-10, 1976.
_____.Jobseeking Methods Used by American Workers, Bulletin 1886. Washington, D.C.: 1975.
_____.Tomorrow’s Manpower Needs: Vol. IV,The National Industry-Occupational Matrix and Other Manpower Data. Washington, D.C.: 1972.
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration.Minimum Wage and Maximum Hours Standards Under the Federal Labor Standards Act, 1973.
Wessels, W. “The Effect of Minimum Wages in the Presence of Fringe Benefits: An Expanded Model.”Economic Inquiry 18 (April 1980): 293–313.
Williams, W. “Government Sanctioned Restraints That Reduce Economic Opportunities for Minorities.”Policy Review 2 (Fall 1977): 7–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
I would like to thank Peter Montiel and Geoffrey Woglom for their helpful comments and suggestions and Bruce Chesebrough for providing the stimulus to write this paper; remaining errors are my own.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kaufman, R.T. Nepotism and the minimum wage. Journal of Labor Research 4, 81–89 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685505
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02685505