Skip to main content
Log in

Cohort size and earnings in Great Britain

  • Published:
Journal of Population Economics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Numerous studies in the United States have confirmed that individuals born into large cohorts, ceteris paribus, tend to have lower earnings on entry into the labour force compared to individuals born into small cohorts. On the other hand, only limited attention has been directed towards exploring the relationship between cohort size and earnings in other nations. This paper examines empirically the relationship between cohort size and male earnings in Great Britain. The data used is a time-series of cross-sections (1973–1982) constructed from theGeneral Household Survey. Some support for the hypothesis that large cohorts have depressed earnings is found. However, this effect does not persist as the cohort ages.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alburg D (1982) The new Kuznets cycle: a test of the Easterlin-Wachter-Wachter hypothesis. Res Popul Econ 4:93–115

    Google Scholar 

  • Alsalam N (1985) The effect of cohort size on earnings: an examination of substitution relationships. University of Rochester Center for Economic Research Working Paper No. 21, Rochester, New York

  • Anderson J (1982) An economic-demographic model of the US labor marker. Res Popul Econ 3:117–153

    Google Scholar 

  • Bamford C, Dale A (1988) General household survey time series 1973–1982. Department of Sociology, University of Surrey, Guildford, UK

    Google Scholar 

  • Ben-Porath Y (1988) Market, government, and Israel's muted baby boom. In: Lee R, Arthur W, Rodgers G (eds) Economics of changing age distributions in developed countries. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 12–38

    Google Scholar 

  • Berger M (1988) Black-white earnings ratios: The role of cohort size. Econ Lett 26:285–290

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger M (1985) The effect of cohort size on earnings: A reconsideration of the evidence. J Polit Econ 93:561–573

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger M (1984) Cohort size and the earnings of young workers. Indust Labor Relat Rev 37:582–591

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berger M (1983) Changes in labor force composition and male earnings: A production function approach. J Hum Resources 18:177–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom D, Freeman R, Korenam S (1987) The labour-market consequences of generational crowding. Eur J Popul 3:131–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calot G, Blayo C (1982) Recent course of fertility in Western Europe. Popul Stud 36:349–372

    Google Scholar 

  • Connelly R (1986) A framework for analyzing the impact of cohort size on education and labor earnings. J Hum Resources 21:543–562

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dooley M (1986) The overeducated Canadian? Changes in the relationship among earnings, education, and age for Canadian men: 1971–1981. Can J Econ 14:142–159

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterlin R (1980) Birth and fortune: The impact of numbers on personal welfare. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Easterlin R (1978) What will 1984 be like? The socioeconomic implications of recent twists in age structure. Demography 15:397–432

    Google Scholar 

  • Ermisch J (1988a) Fortunes of birth: The impact of generation size on the relative earnings of young men. Scott J Polit Econ 35:266–282

    Google Scholar 

  • Ermisch J (1988b) British labour market responses to age distribution changes. In: Lee R, Arthur W, Rodgers G (eds) Economics of changing age distributions in developed countries. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 76–86

    Google Scholar 

  • Ermisch J, Wright R (1989) Differential returns to human capital in full-time and part-time employment: The case of British women. Discussion Paper 88-14. Department of Economics, Birkbeck College, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Freeman R (1976) The effects of demographic factors on age-earnings profiles. J Hum Resources 14:289–318

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gustafsson S (1990) Cohort size and female labor supply. Centre for Economic Policy Research Discussion Paper No. 384, London

  • Martin L, Ogawa N (1988) The effect of cohort size on relative wages in Japan. In: Lee R, Arthur W, Rodgers G (eds) Economics of changing age distributions in developed countries. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 59–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy K, Plant M, Welch F (1988) Cohort size and earnings in the United States. In: Lee R, Arthur W, Rodgers G (eds) Economics of changing age distributions in developed countries. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 39–58

    Google Scholar 

  • Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1989) OPCS Monitor. PP2 89 No. 1. HMSO, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (1981) The General Household Survey. HMSO, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Pestieau P (1989) The demographics of inequality. J Popul Econ 2:3–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riboud M (1987) Labour market response to changes in cohort size: the case of France. Eur J Popul 3:359–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tan H, Ward M (1985) Forecasting the wages of young men: the effects of cohort size. Report No. R.3115-Army, RAND Corporation, Santa Monica CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Welch F (1979) Effects of cohort size on earnings: The baby boom babies financial bust. J Polit Econ (Suppl) 87:S65-S97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wells W (1983) The relative pay and employment of young people. Research Paper No. 42. Department of Employment, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright R (1989) The Easterlin hypothesis and European fertility rates. Popul Dev Rev 15:107–122

    Google Scholar 

  • Wright R, Ermisch J (1991) Gender discrimination in the British labour market: a reassessment. Econ J 101:508–522

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wright, R.E. Cohort size and earnings in Great Britain. J Popul Econ 4, 295–305 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02426373

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02426373

Keywords

Navigation