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  4. June 2008
  5. Is the U.S. Labor Market Really That Exceptional? A Review of Richard Freeman

Journal of Economic Literature

ISSN 0022-0515 (Print) | ISSN 2328-8175 (Online)

Is the U.S. Labor Market Really That Exceptional? A Review of Richard Freeman

  • Stephen Nickell
Journal of Economic Literature
vol. 46, no. 2, June 2008
(pp. 384–95)
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Abstract

America Works is a splendid book and Richard Freeman is to be congratulated on producing a work that sets out what is right and what is wrong with the U.S. labor market while being a joy to read. While I am generally sympathetic to both the analysis and the conclusions, there are a number of points of disagreement that I highlight in this review. In particular, I would add to his policy recommendations by taking a gamble and enacting a law that entitled all employees in the United States to four weeks paid holiday per year in addition to public holidays. This may transform summertime in the United States.

Citation

Nickell, Stephen. 2008. "Is the U.S. Labor Market Really That Exceptional? A Review of Richard Freeman." Journal of Economic Literature, 46 (2): 384–95. DOI: 10.1257/jel.46.2.384

JEL Classification

  • E24 Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution
  • J20 Demand and Suppply of Labor: General