Wage Functions in China and Eastern Europe: A Large-Scale Comparative Meta Analysis

This paper conducts a meta-analysis using 6453 estimates reported in 216 research works to compare the wage function in China and Eastern Europe. The results indicate that the wage systems in both China and Eastern Europe were structured consistently with economic theories. Nevertheless, it is also revealed that the shape of their wage functions has changed dynamically in recent decades. In fact, both China and Eastern Europe have experienced a flattening of their wage-experience profiles over time. At the same time, China and Eastern Europe have showed quite contrasting changes in the wage effects of education and gender.