Job Amenity and the Incidence of Double Work

January 1991 The basic purpose is to explain why some workers have two jobs. The hypothesis is that workers in jobs associated with an amenity are more prone to accept double work. If earnings fall for such jobs, it is rationai to have two jobs while for jobs with no amenity a fall in earnings causes a rationai worker to leave the sector altogether. An amenity can be expected for instance for workers in primary sectors and evidence that farmers at an increasing rate have double occupations are provided. The comparative statics on the models yield some unexpected results. The models are test ed on data on farmers and the regressions yield some support for the theoretical modeis. I am grateful to Frank Stafford and Stefan Fölster for comments.