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Internal Labor Markets And Investment In Conglomerates

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  • RUI SILVA

Abstract

The literature on conglomerates has focused on the misallocation of investments as the cause of the conglomerate discount. I study frictions in the internal labor market as a possible cause of misallocation of investments. Using detailed plant-level data, I document wage convergence in conglomerates: workersin low-wage industries collect higher-than-industry wages when the diversified rm is also present in high-wage industries (by 5.2%). I con rm this effect by exploiting a quasi-experiment involving the implementation of the NAFTA agreement that exogenously increases worker wages of exporting plants. I track the evolution of wages in non-exporting plants in diversi ed rms that also own exporting plants and nd a signi cant increase in wages of these plants relative to una liated non-exporting plants after the event. This pattern of wage convergence affects investments. Plants where workers collect higher-than-industry wages increase the capital-labor ratio in response to their higher labor cost -- and this response to higher wages is associated with higher investment in some divisions.

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  • Rui Silva, 2013. "Internal Labor Markets And Investment In Conglomerates," Working Papers 13-26, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    • Handle: RePEc:cen:wpaper:13-26
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    File URL: https://www2.census.gov/ces/wp/2013/CES-WP-13-26.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Giacinta Cestone & Chiara Fumagalli & Francis Kramaz & Giovanni Pica, 2015. "Insurance Between Firms: The Role of Internal Labor Markets," CSEF Working Papers 386, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 22 Jan 2020.
    2. Nuri Ersahin, 2017. "Creditor Rights, Technology Adoption, and Productivity: Plant-Level Evidence," Working Papers 17-36, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    3. Nuri Ersahin, 2018. "Creditor Rights, Technology Adoption, and Productivity: Plant-Level Evidence," Working Papers 18-20, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    4. Nuri Ersahin & Rustom M. Irani & Hanh Le, 2015. "Creditor Control Rights and Resource Allocation within Firms," Working Papers 15-39, Center for Economic Studies, U.S. Census Bureau.
    5. Giacinta Cestone & Chiara Fumagalli & Francis Kramaz & Giovanni Pica, 2015. "Insurance Between Firms: The Role of Internal Labor Markets," CSEF Working Papers 386, Centre for Studies in Economics and Finance (CSEF), University of Naples, Italy, revised 22 Jan 2020.

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