Read the selection from Rivethead by Ben Hamper and write about one of your own work experiences.
Define residual wage inequality. What are some possible explanations for the increase in residual wage inequality over the 1980s and the 1990s?
What effect might the increase in residual wage inequality have on teenagers' decisions to attend college? Could it have a different effect on the decisions of teenagers from different backgrounds? Explain.
Here is some guidance on residual wage inequality. I recommend looking at Section VI, Parts A and B (pages 1364-1367) of the Levy and Murnane article ``U.S. Earnings Levels and Earnings Inequality: A Review of Recent Trends and Proposed Explanations.'' Residual wage inequality is the same thing as ``Within-Group Inequality.'' You might also look at Fortin and Lemieux, ``Institutional Changes and Rising Wage Inequality: Is There a Linkage?,'' Journal of Economic Perspectives, Vol. 11 (2), p 75-96, Spring 1997.
Prepare a ``laboratory write-up'' of the New Jersey-Pennsylvania minimum wage experiment. I will distribute a handout to guide your write-up.
Describe the market work and housework arrangements in your household of origin. Define the second shift. If your household of origin was not a second-shift household, describe a second-shift arrangement you are familiar with, for example, that of your family of origin. Describe what you would consider the ideal resolution of market work and housework arrangement in your own life: discuss the challenges your plan might face, for example, from your partner, your family of origin, from your social network, or from your employer and the labor market.