01766cas a2200241 a 4500 AALejournalIMF007670 230101c9999 xx r poo 0 0eng d 5.00 USD 9781451843965 1018-5941 BD-DhAAL BD-DhAAL Prasad, Eswar. The Unbearable Stability of the German Wage Structure : Evidence and Interpretation / Eswar Prasad. Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2000. 1 online resource (52 pages) IMF Working Papers <strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required <strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students This paper uses micro data from the German Socio-Economic Panel to document that the wage structure in West Germany was remarkably stable during 1984-97, with little variation over time in wage or earnings inequality between and within different skill groups. Empirical evidence suggests that this stability is attributable to institutional factors rather than market forces. The rigidity of relative wages, despite relative shifts in labor demand that favor skilled workers, has resulted in sharp declines in employment rates for unskilled workers. The microeconomic evidence is shown to have important implications for interpreting trends in wage shares, capital-labor ratios, and aggregate unemployment. Mode of access: Internet IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2000/022 Full text available on IMF http://elibrary.imf.org/view/journals/001/2000/022/001.2000.issue-022-en.xml IMF e-Library