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Lower coverage but stronger unions? Institutional changes and union wage premia in Central Europe

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  • Magda, Iga
  • Marsden, David
  • Moriconi, Simone

Abstract

In this paper we use the national samples from the European Structure of Earnings Survey (ESES) to analyze the evolution of the wage premium of firm- and industry-level agreements in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland (the CE3) around the time of their accession to the EU. We find that despite a generalized reduction in union coverage in these countries, the union wage premium after accession to the EU became bigger and statistically more significant for Poland and Hungary, particularly for industry-level agreements. We interpret these findings in terms of the institutional reforms that occurred in the CE3 between 2002 and 2006. These reforms, which were prompted by the EU Commission's requirements for EU accession, increased the social partners' ability to bargain and enforce wage agreements, and made industry-level unions more effective in guaranteeing the protections provided by labor standards. Results are less conclusive for th

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  • Magda, Iga & Marsden, David & Moriconi, Simone, 2016. "Lower coverage but stronger unions? Institutional changes and union wage premia in Central Europe," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 64613, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:64613
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    File URL: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/64613/
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    2. Leone Leonida & Antonio Giangreco & Sergio Scicchitano & Marco Biagetti, 2023. "Britain and BrExit: Is the UK more attractive to supervisors? An analysis of the wage premium to supervision across the EU," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 61(2), pages 291-312, June.
    3. Magda, Iga & Gromadzki, Jan & Moriconi, Simone, 2021. "Firms and wage inequality in Central and Eastern Europe," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 499-552.
    4. Andrea Garnero & François Rycx & Isabelle Terraz, 2020. "Productivity and Wage Effects of Firm‐Level Collective Agreements: Evidence from Belgian Linked Panel Data," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 58(4), pages 936-972, December.
    5. Maarten Keune, 2021. "Inequality between capital and labour and among wage-earners: the role of collective bargaining and trade unions," Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research, , vol. 27(1), pages 29-46, February.
    6. Raul Ramos & Esteban Sanromá & Hipólito Simón, 2018. "Wage differentials by bargaining regime in Spain (2002-2014). An analysis using matched employer-employee data," Working Papers 2018/23, Institut d'Economia de Barcelona (IEB).
    7. Li Zhao & Chu Yujing, 2020. "Endogenous Institutions and Economic Growth: Evidence from China," Financial Sciences. Nauki o Finansach, Sciendo, vol. 25(1), pages 54-77, March.
    8. Bastien Alvarez & Gianluca Orefice & Farid Toubal, 2022. "Trade Liberalization, Collective Bargaining and Workers: Wages and Working Conditions," Working Papers 2022-02, CEPII research center.
    9. Karolina GORAUS‐TAŃSKA & Piotr LEWANDOWSKI, 2019. "Minimum wage violation in central and eastern Europe," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 158(2), pages 297-336, June.
    10. Pi, Jiancai & Fan, Yanwei, 2021. "Institutional change and wage inequality," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 440-452.
    11. Wouter Zwysen & Jan Drahokoupil, 2024. "Collective bargaining and power: Wage premium of collective agreements in Europe 2002–2018," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 62(2), pages 335-357, June.
    12. Iga Magda, 2017. "Do trade unions in Central and Eastern Europe make a difference?," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 360-360, May.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    institutional change; unions; wages;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • P2 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies

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