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On the Emergence of Cooperative Industrial and Labor Relations

Author

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  • A. Ricci
  • S. Scicchitano
  • M. Conti
  • G. Cardullo
  • G. Sulis

Abstract

We explore the long run determinants of current differences in the degree of cooperative labor relations at local level. We do this by estimating the causal effect of the medieval communes –that were established in certain cities in Centre-Northern Italy towards the end of the 11th century– and that contributed to the emergence of a cooperative attitude in the population on various proxies for current cooperative labor relations for a (repeated) cross section of Italian firms observed over the period 2010- 2018. Conditional on a large set of firm and municipality level controls, as well as a full set of province fixed effects, we find that firms located in municipalities that had been a free medieval commune now have higher current probabilities to adopt two-tier bargaining structures and to be unionized. We also report IV estimates that confirm our main results.

Suggested Citation

  • A. Ricci & S. Scicchitano & M. Conti & G. Cardullo & G. Sulis, 2022. "On the Emergence of Cooperative Industrial and Labor Relations," Working Paper CRENoS 202201, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    • Handle: RePEc:cns:cnscwp:202201
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    unions; Two-Tier Bargaining; Persistence; Industrial relations; Cooperation;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General
    • J53 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence
    • J59 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Other
    • N00 - Economic History - - General - - - General

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