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Firms Agglomeration and Unions

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  • picard, pierre
  • Toulemonde, Eric

Abstract

This Paper develops a model in which the interaction between product market imperfections, transportation costs, unions and workers immobility across regions creates a tendency for agglomeration of firms when transportation costs are low. The model fits quite well the European experience. It is able to explain the emergence of a centre-periphery pattern with equally populated regions. In the centre, most people work in the unionized industry and earn large wages. In contrast, workers in the periphery are employed at a low wage in a constant return to scale industry.

Suggested Citation

  • picard, pierre & Toulemonde, Eric, 2002. "Firms Agglomeration and Unions," CEPR Discussion Papers 3323, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:3323
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    Cited by:

    1. Zierahn, Ulrich, 2012. "Monocentric cities, endogenous agglomeration, and unemployment disparities," HWWI Research Papers 130, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    2. Ulrich Zierahn, 2013. "Agglomeration, congestion, and regional unemployment disparities," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 51(2), pages 435-457, October.
    3. Yahong Liu & Daisheng Tang & Tao Bu & Xinyuan Wang, 2022. "The spatial employment effect of high-speed railway: quasi-natural experimental evidence from China," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 69(2), pages 333-359, October.
    4. Philipp vom Berge, 2013. "Search unemployment and new economic geography," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 50(3), pages 731-751, June.
    5. Hosaki Sano, 2018. "Labor union and firm fs relocation: A general oligopolistic equilibrium model analysis," Discussion Papers in Economics and Business 18-15-Rev., Osaka University, Graduate School of Economics, revised May 2018.
    6. vom Berge, Philipp, 2011. "Search Unemployment and New Economic Geography," University of Regensburg Working Papers in Business, Economics and Management Information Systems 454, University of Regensburg, Department of Economics.
    7. Pierre M. Picard & Eric Toulemonde, 2009. "On monopolistic competition and optimal product diversity: workers' rents also matter," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 42(4), pages 1347-1360, November.
    8. Zierahn, Ulrich, 2011. "Regional unemployment and new economic geography," HWWI Research Papers 105, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).
    9. Xinmeng Li & Dao-Zhi Zeng, 2022. "Frictional unemployment, bargaining, and agglomeration," The Annals of Regional Science, Springer;Western Regional Science Association, vol. 68(1), pages 151-179, February.
    10. Vincent Delbecque & Isabelle Méjean & Lise Patureau, 2014. "Labor market institutions and firms’ location choices," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 150(1), pages 115-148, February.
    11. Takanori Ago & Tadashi Morita & Takatoshi Tabuchi & Kazuhiro Yamamoto, 2018. "Elastic labor supply and agglomeration," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(2), pages 350-362, March.
    12. Persyn, Damiaan, 2013. "Union wage demands with footloose firms and agglomeration forces," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 142-150.
    13. Colin Davis & Ken-ichi Hashimoto & Ken Tabata, 2021. "Unionization, Industry Concentration, and Economic Growth," ISER Discussion Paper 1154, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    14. Egger, Hartmut & Etzel, Daniel, 2014. "Union wage-setting and international trade with footloose capital," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 56-67.
    15. Hyun-Ju Koh & Ferdinand Mittermaier, 2009. "The winner gives it all: Unions, tax competition and offshoring," Working Papers 079, Bavarian Graduate Program in Economics (BGPE).
    16. Kenmei Tsubota, 2009. "Agglomeration and wage bargaining," KIER Working Papers 675, Kyoto University, Institute of Economic Research.
    17. Méjean, Isabelle & Patureau, Lise, 2010. "Firms' location decisions and minimum wages," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 40(1), pages 45-59, January.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Agglomeration; Monopolistic competition; Unions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies; Fragmentation
    • F15 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Economic Integration
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • R12 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General Regional Economics - - - Size and Spatial Distributions of Regional Economic Activity; Interregional Trade (economic geography)

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