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The distributive and welfare effects of product and labour market deregulation

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  • Cardullo, Gabriele

Abstract

This paper studies the effects of product and labour market deregulation on wage inequality and welfare. By constructing an analytically tractable model in which the level of product market competition and the wages are endogenously distributed among sectors, I show that deregulation in goods market has mixed effects on inequality: the wage variance and the Gini index are lower, but the ratio of the highest over the lowest wage paid in the economy increases. Moreover, deregulation in labour markets raises the aggregate level of employment and the average real wage but reduces the welfare of trade unions in sectors with a low level of competition.

Suggested Citation

  • Cardullo, Gabriele, 2011. "The distributive and welfare effects of product and labour market deregulation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 205-217, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:18:y:2011:i:2:p:205-217
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Product market competition Wage distribution Barriers to entry;

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J5 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining
    • L16 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Industrial Organization and Macroeconomics; Macroeconomic Industrial Structure

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