Comparative Perspectives on Work Structures and Inequality

This essay synthesizes comparative research on work structures and inequality. It emphasizes explicitly comparable cross-national studies, though it also discusses historical research as well as some illustrative nation-specific studies that provide interesting contrasts with research in the United States. The focus is mainly on studies of work structures and earnings inequality, though selected studies of careers and commitment are also considered. The kinds of cross-national studies reviewed will become increasingly common in the future, due to the growing availability of explicitly comparable microdata sets.