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Unemployment and the "Labour-Management Conspiracy"

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  • Karp, Larry
  • Paul, Thierry

Abstract

We study a model in which management and a union bargain sequentially, first choosing a rule that will later determine the level of employment, and then choosing a wage. The government then chooses an output or an employment subsidy. An exogenous natural turnover rate in the unionized sector creates unemployment whenever the union wage exceeds the competitive wage. Government intervention can increase both the equilibrium amount of unemployment and worsen the intersectoral allocation of labour, because of the induced change in the endogenous wage. Unemployment weakens but does not eliminate the possibility of a "labour-management conspiracy".

Suggested Citation

  • Karp, Larry & Paul, Thierry, 1998. "Unemployment and the "Labour-Management Conspiracy"," Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley, Working Paper Series qt4w19p9qp, Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.
    • Handle: RePEc:cdl:agrebk:qt4w19p9qp
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stephen Nickell, 1997. "Unemployment and Labor Market Rigidities: Europe versus North America," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 55-74, Summer.
    2. Karp, Larry & Paul, Thierry, 2000. "Unemployment and the 'Labour-Management Conspiracy.'," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(460), pages 113-135, January.
    3. Rodrik, Dani, 1986. "Tariffs, subsidies, and welfare with endogenous policy," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 21(3-4), pages 285-299, November.
    4. David Begg & Richard Portes, 1993. "Eastern Germany since unification: wage subsidies remain a better way," The Economics of Transition, The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, vol. 1(4), pages 383-400, December.
    5. Bean, Charles R, 1994. "European Unemployment: A Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 573-619, June.
    6. Burda, Michael C & Funke, Michael, 1992. "Trade Unions, Wages and Structural Adjustment in the New German States," CEPR Discussion Papers 652, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Dani Rodrik, 1987. "Policy Targeting with Endogenous Distortions: Theory of Optimum Subsidy Revisited," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 102(4), pages 903-911.
    8. Manning, Alan, 1987. "An Integration of Trade Union Models in a Sequential Bargaining Framework," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 97(385), pages 121-139, March.
    9. Shapiro, Carl & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1984. "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 433-444, June.
    10. George A. Akerlof & Andrew K. Rose & Janet L. Yellen & Helga Hessenius, 1991. "East Germany in from the Cold: The Economic Aftermath of Currency Union," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 22(1), pages 1-106.
    11. Kiminori Matsuyama, 1990. "Export Subsidies as an Outcome of the Management-Labor Conspiracy," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 105(3), pages 803-813.
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    Cited by:

    1. Karp, Larry & Paul, Thierry, 2000. "Unemployment and the 'Labour-Management Conspiracy.'," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(460), pages 113-135, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment; government subsidies; wage bargaining;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J58 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Public Policy
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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