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Employment protection versus flexicurity: on technology adoption in unionised firms

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Abstract

We analyse how different labour market institutions--employment protection versus ?flexicurity?--affect technology adoption in unionised firms. We consider trade unions? incentives to oppose or endorse labour-saving technology and firms? incentives to invest in such technology. Increased flexicurity--interpreted as less employment protection and a higher reservation wage for workers--unambiguously increases firms? incentives for technology adoption. If unions have some direct influence on technology, a higher reservation wage also makes unions more willing to accept technological change. Less employment protection has the opposite effect, since this increases the downside (job losses) of labour-saving technology.

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  • Lommerud, Kjell Erik, 2010. "Employment protection versus flexicurity: on technology adoption in unionised firms," CEPR Discussion Papers 7919, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:7919
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    6. Luciano Fanti & Nicola Meccheri, 2017. "Unionization Regimes, Capacity Choice by Firms and Welfare Outcomes," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 85(6), pages 661-681, December.
    7. Carsten Eckel & Hartmut Egger, 2017. "The Dilemma of Labor Unions: Local Objectives vs Global Bargaining," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 534-566, August.
    8. Xiaoxue Du & Hernan Tejeda & Zhengliang Yang & Liang Lu, 2022. "A General-Equilibrium Model of Labor-Saving Technology Adoption: Theory and Evidences from Robotic Milking Systems in Idaho," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, June.
    9. Benjamin Heslop & Antony Drew & Elizabeth Stojanovski & Kylie Bailey & Jonathan Paul, 2018. "Collaboration Vouchers: A Policy to Increase Population Wellbeing," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, June.
    10. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Meland, Frode & Straume, Odd Rune, 2021. "International outsourcing and trade union (de-)centralisation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 76-91.
    11. Torben M. Andersen, 2016. "Incentives versus insurance in the design of tax-financed unemployment insurance," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 12(2), pages 127-150, June.
    12. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2018. "Union–Firm Bargaining Agenda Revisited: When Unions Have Distinct Preferences," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(1), pages 35-50, January.
    13. Andersen, Torben M, 2010. "Incentive and Insurance Effects of Tax Financed Unemployment Insurance," CEPR Discussion Papers 8025, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Meccheri, Nicola, 2023. "Unionised dockworkers and port ownership structure in an international oligopoly," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1326, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    15. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility in unionised network industries," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 68(2), pages 235-262, June.
    16. Gebhard Flaig & Horst Rottmann, 2013. "Labour market institutions and unemployment: an international panel data analysis," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(4), pages 635-654, November.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Employment protection; Flexicurity; Technology adoption; Trade unions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J38 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Public Policy
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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