1. REGIONAL ECONOMIC ADJUSTMENTS: THE ROLE OF GEOGRAPHICAL WAGE DIFFERENTIALS.
- Author
-
van Sickle, John V.
- Subjects
ECONOMIC stabilization ,WAGE differentials ,UNITED States economy ,BALANCE of payments ,REGIONAL economics ,EFFICIENT market theory ,COMPETITIVE advantage in business - Abstract
In this article the author focuses on the problem of interregional adjustments within the U.S. and on the role of geographical wage differentials. The author agrees with the assumption that interferences with the competitive formation of wages would be contrary to the general interest if the American market were a perfect market, but disagrees with another assumption that the departures from the competitive ideal are so great as to vitiate the conclusions drawn from the theory of perfect markets. He describes the geographical pattern of wages to be expected in a national market which is reasonably competitive. The author defends the thesis that the resulting geographical wage differentials promote regional adjustments which are socially desirable and economically sound. He also argues that the American economy is or can easily be made sufficiently competitive to justify our reliance on geographical wage differentials as one of the essential mechanisms for promoting regional specialization on the basis of comparative advantage.
- Published
- 1954