ILO Research Department Seminar

Natural productivity or unnatural rents?, presentation by Philippe Askenazy

Presenter: Philippe Askenazy, CNRS-Centre Maurice Halbwachs Chair: Sangheon Lee RESEARCH

Rising labour income inequality or declining bottom earnings are often justified as mainly reflecting the natural divergences in individual productivity driven by technological change or globalisation. This argument is not consistent with recent evidences including the work intensification affecting low and middle skilled workers, and the small apparent impact of British and German minimum wages on employment. I argue this puzzle can be elucidated by exploring the current sources of rents and the relevance of the measures of productivity.

Philippe Askenazy is senior researcher at CNRS-Centre Maurice Halbwachs and professor of economics at the Ecole Normale Supérieure.