Wage–experience profiles in China and Eastern Europe: A large meta-analysis

Abstract

This paper conducts a comparative meta-analysis using 3,098 estimates reported in 125 research works to explore the wage–experience profile in China and Eastern Europe as they experience a systemic transformation from the planned system to a market economy. The results indicate that the relationship between years of work experience and wage levels in China and Eastern Europe in the transition period was structured consistently with economic theories. It is also revealed that both China and Eastern Europe have experienced a flattening of their wage–experience profiles over time. These findings are statistically robust beyond issues of heterogeneity and publication selection bias in the literature.