Abstract
Public sector wages and employment conditions in the public vis à vis the private sector are an important policy issue in industrialised as well as in developing countries. A number of papers have appeared which analyse wage structures in the two sectors for a large variety countries.1 Most of these analyses are based on cross-section data.2 In Germany, an active state which monopolises a variety of functions and services has a long history. In Prussia, the state had a primary role in the development of many important prerequisites for a modern industrial society, such as railways and other infrastructure.3 In the process of economic and political reconstruction of Germany after 1945, the public sector played a vital role. In post-war West Germany, employment in the public sector increased steadily from 2.2 million employees in 1950 to 4.6 million in the early 1980s. Since then, public sector employment in West Germany has remained relatively stable.
Arthur van Soest’s research is made possible by a fellowship of the Netherlands Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW).
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© 1999 Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited
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Dustmann, C., van Soest, A. (1999). Wages and Hours Worked in the Private and Public Sectors in Germany. In: Elliott, R., Lucifora, C., Meurs, D. (eds) Public Sector Pay Determination in the European Union. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14946-9_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-14946-9_4
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