Wage Determination in Social Occupations: The Role of Individual Social Capital ^☆

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to assess the importance of individual social capital characteristics in determining wages, both directly through their valuation by employers and indirectly through their impact on individual occupational choice. We find that a person’s level of sociability and care for others works through both channels to explain wage differences between social and nonsocial occupations. Additionally, expected wages in each occupation type are found to be at least as important as a person’s level of social capital in choosing a social occupation. We make use of restricted 2000 Decennial Census and 2000 Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey.

Citation

Hotchkiss, J.L. and Rupasingha, A. (2018), "Wage Determination in Social Occupations: The Role of Individual Social Capital ^☆ ", Transitions through the Labor Market (Research in Labor Economics, Vol. 46), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 127-181. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0147-912120180000046005