Research
Research
The Changing Distribution of the Male Ethnic Wage Gap in Great Britain (IZA Discussion Paper)
(with Ken Clark)
Abstract: We decompose the ethnic pay gap in Great Britain across the distribution of hourly wages, yielding a detailed insight into differences between groups and how these vary over pay percentiles and through time. While some groups experience reductions in the pay gap consistent with lower discrimination, including relatively well paid Indian workers and relatively poorly paid Bangladeshis, others - specifically Black groups - face an apparent glass ceiling barring access to well paid jobs. The increasing educational attainment of Britain's ethnic groups provides some optimism around narrowing pay differentials, particularly at the top of the distribution, while the introduction and uprating of the National Minimum/Living Wage has contributed to improvements at the lower end.
Abstract: The European refugee crisis of 2015 was felt with varying impact amongst the nations of the free movement Schengen zone. Exploiting this heterogeneity we use a difference-in-differences model to identify the causal impact of the crisis on attitudes regarding immigration. Using three variables from the European Social Survey that measure economic, cultural and overall concerns, we find that the crisis causes increased negativity toward immigrants. Taking advantage of individual level data to assess how this change varies across different groups we find evidence that the crisis increases the polarisation of attitudes towards immigration across cultural lines. We find that for voters that previously voted for populist parties negativity towards immigration increases dramatically. We also find some evidence that if respondents are more likely to have had contact with immigrants in the past the crisis causes a less negative shift in attitudes.
Abstract: Recent European politics has been characterised by the electoral success (or near success) of right-wing nationalist parties. Most of these events have been seen as linked to a populist turn within Europe represented, in part, by a trend of greater fiscal spending by such parties. What are circumstances that may lead to such a change? To answer the question this paper looks at the electoral competition between a nationalist and status quo party who differ on immigration policy. In a probabilistic voting model voters are not only swayed by the material impact of policy for themselves - they also have an individual attitude towards immigration that informs their voting decision. I find that the trend towards nationalist populist policies can be explained both by voters turning against immigration and by a rise in income inequality. Increased partisanship is a key debate surrounding populism and a positive relationship between the level of recent immigration and the scale of polarisation is predicted by the model.
(with Ken Clark)
Key points:
Despite some growth in the number of apprenticeship starts by ethnic minority learners, their representation relative to the secondary school population remains low.
Much of the growth in apprenticeship starts in the past decade has been driven by older apprentices.
Ethnic minority apprentices tend to favour certain sectors: health, public services and care; business, administration and law.
White apprentices are more likely to complete the training than their counterparts from ethnic minorities in all sectors except for hospitality.
Following the COVID-19 lockdown, vacancies for apprenticeships fell dramatically, including in those sectors favoured by ethnic minority learners.
The government’s Kickstart programme runs the risk of undermining the push for greater ethnic minority representation in apprenticeships.