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Frontiers of Economics in China

ISSN 1673-3444

ISSN 1673-3568(Online)

CN 11-5744/F

Postal Subscription Code 80-978

Front. Econ. China    2015, Vol. 10 Issue (3) : 527-539    https://doi.org/10.3868/s060-004-015-0023-9
research-article
Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality: Evidence from the U.S. States
Xiaofeng Penny Li()
International School of Economics and Management, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China
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Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between trade liberalization and wage inequality for 50 U.S. states during the period from 1999 to 2008. The Difference-in-Differences and fixed effects methods are employed to evaluate the effect of trade liberalization on wage inequality in the U.S. states. Empirical results reveal that trade liberalization and de-unionization do increase the wage inequality between skilled and unskilled workers. Evidence shows skill-biased technological change has no significant impact on rising wage inequality. As Difference-in-Differences estimation on time-series cross sectional data involves many years, the conventional standard errors often understate the standard deviation of the estimators. This paper employs the standard bootstrapping procedure and the clustering error procedure to correct the problem, and all sign patterns still hold.

Keywords trade liberalization      wage inequality      skill-biased technological change      de-unionization     
Issue Date: 22 October 2015
 Cite this article:   
Xiaofeng Penny Li. Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality: Evidence from the U.S. States[J]. Front. Econ. China, 2015, 10(3): 527-539.
 URL:  
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fec/EN/10.3868/s060-004-015-0023-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fec/EN/Y2015/V10/I3/527
[1] Chu-Ping Lo. Would a North-South Free Trade Agreement Hurt Unskilled Labor in the North?[J]. Front. Econ. China, 2015, 10(4): 629-642.
[2] Qing Liu, Larry D. Qiu. Cross-Country Externalities of Trade and FDI Liberalization[J]. Front Econ Chin, 2013, 8(1): 19-49.
[3] Chunbing Xing. Changes in Job Structure and Rising Wage Inequality in Urban China, 1995-2007[J]. Front Econ Chin, 2012, 7(2): 305-337.
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