IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/gpe/wpaper/31973.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The effect of global value chain participation on the labour share – Industry level evidence from emerging economies

Author

Listed:
  • Guschanski, Alexander
  • Onaran, Özlem

Abstract

We present an econometric analysis of the determinants of the labour share in seven emerging economies from 1995 to 2014. We focus on the effect of global value chain participation, in particular offshoring from advanced to emerging economies based on global input-output tables. The use of industry-level data allows us to distinguish the impact on workers of different skill groups within manufacturing and service industries. We find that integration into global value chains with advanced economies reduces the labour share in emerging economies, in both manufacturing and service industries, particularly for medium-skilled workers. Global value chain participation increases productivity, but it also reduces the bargaining power of labour and allows firms to charge a higher markup, leading to a decline in the labour share. In contrast, higher union density and government consumption spending increase the labour share. Labour in emerging economies loses out as production becomes more integrated across borders. Our results indicate that reversing the fall in the labour share requires changes in labour market institutions and fiscal policies to improve the bargaining power of labour.

Suggested Citation

  • Guschanski, Alexander & Onaran, Özlem, 2021. "The effect of global value chain participation on the labour share – Industry level evidence from emerging economies," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 31973, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    • Handle: RePEc:gpe:wpaper:31973
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/31973/7/31973%20GUSCHANSKI_The_Effect_of_Global_Value_Chain_Participation_2021.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Karsten Kohler & Alexander Guschanski & Engelbert Stockhammer, 2019. "The impact of financialisation on the wage share: a theoretical clarification and empirical test," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 43(4), pages 937-974.
    2. Davide Furceri & Prakash Loungani & Jonathan D. Ostry, 2019. "The Aggregate and Distributional Effects of Financial Globalization: Evidence from Macro and Sectoral Data," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(S1), pages 163-198, December.
    3. David Autor & David Dorn & Lawrence F. Katz & Christina Patterson & John Van Reenen, 2017. "Concentrating on the Fall of the Labor Share," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 107(5), pages 180-185, May.
    4. Reshef, Ariell & Santoni, Gianluca, 2023. "Are your labor shares set in Beijing? The view through the lens of global value chains," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    5. Bentolila Samuel & Saint-Paul Gilles, 2003. "Explaining Movements in the Labor Share," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 3(1), pages 1-33, October.
    6. Jan De Loecker & Frederic Warzynski, 2012. "Markups and Firm-Level Export Status," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 102(6), pages 2437-2471, October.
    7. Mark Kruger & Walter Steingress & Sri Thanabalasingam, 2017. "Product Sophistication and the Slowdown in Chinese Export Growth," Discussion Papers 17-15, Bank of Canada.
    8. David H. Autor & David Dorn & Gordon H. Hanson, 2013. "The China Syndrome: Local Labor Market Effects of Import Competition in the United States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 103(6), pages 2121-2168, October.
    9. Weicheng Lian, 2019. "Technological Changes, Offshoring, and the Labor Share," IMF Working Papers 2019/142, International Monetary Fund.
    10. Brent Neiman, 2014. "The Global Decline of the Labor Share," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 129(1), pages 61-103.
    11. Mai Chi Dao & Mitali Das & Zsoka Koczan, 2019. "Why is labour receiving a smaller share of global income?," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 34(100), pages 723-759.
    12. Guschanski, Alexander & Onaran, Özlem, 2021. "The decline in the wage share: falling bargaining power of labour or technological progress? Industry-level evidence from the OECD," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 29007, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    13. Stephanie Seguino, 1997. "Gender wage inequality and export-led growth in South Korea," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 102-132.
    14. Gary Gereffi & Joonkoo Lee, 2016. "Economic and Social Upgrading in Global Value Chains and Industrial Clusters: Why Governance Matters," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 133(1), pages 25-38, January.
    15. Ozlem Onaran, 2009. "Wage share, globalization and crisis: the case of the manufacturing industry in Korea, Mexico and Turkey," International Review of Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 113-134.
    16. Doan, Ha Thi Thanh & Wan, Guanghua, 2017. "Globalization and the Labor Share in National Income," ADBI Working Papers 639, Asian Development Bank Institute.
    17. ., 2019. "Technology and social change," Chapters, in: The Invention of Technological Innovation, chapter 4, pages 74-91, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    18. repec:ilo:ilowps:370120 is not listed on IDEAS
    19. Peter Lund-Thomsen & Khalid Nadvi & Anita Chan & Navjote Khara & Hong Xue, 2012. "Labour in Global Value Chains: Work Conditions in Football Manufacturing in China, India and Pakistan," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 43(6), pages 1211-1237, November.
    20. ., 2019. "Technological change," Chapters, in: The Invention of Technological Innovation, chapter 2, pages 36-58, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    21. Damiani, Mirella & Pompei, Fabrizio & Andrea, Ricci, 2018. "Labour shares, employment protection and unions in European economies," MPRA Paper 91300, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    22. Bair, Jennifer & Gereffi, Gary, 2001. "Local Clusters in Global Chains: The Causes and Consequences of Export Dynamism in Torreon's Blue Jeans Industry," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(11), pages 1885-1903, November.
    23. Arjun Jayadev, 2007. "Capital account openness and the labour share of income," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 31(3), pages 423-443, May.
    24. William MILBERG, 2004. "The changing structure of trade linked to global production systems: What are the policy implications?," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 143(1-2), pages 45-90, March.
    25. Stephanie BARRIENTOS & Gary GEREFFI & Arianna ROSSI, 2011. "Economic and social upgrading in global production networks: A new paradigm for a changing world," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 150(3-4), pages 319-340, December.
    26. Milberg, William S.,, 2004. "The changing structure of international trade linked to global production systems : what are the policy implications?," ILO Working Papers 993701203402676, International Labour Organization.
    27. Andrea Bassanini & Thomas Manfredi, 2014. "Capital’s grabbing hand? A cross-industry analysis of the decline of the labor share in OECD countries," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 4(1), pages 3-30, June.
    28. Onaran, Özlem & Oyvat, Cem, 2016. "The political economy of inequality and boom-bust cycles in Turkey: before and after the great recession," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 14869, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Dreger, Christian & Fourné, Marius & Holtemöller, Oliver, 2023. "Globalization, productivity growth, and labor compensation," IWH Discussion Papers 7/2022, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), revised 2023.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Alexander Guschanski & Özlem Onaran, 2023. "Global Value Chain Participation and the Labour Share: Industry‐level Evidence from Emerging Economies," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 54(1), pages 31-63, January.
    2. Kyoji Fukao & Cristiano Perugini, 2021. "The Long‐Run Dynamics of the Labor Share in Japan," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 67(2), pages 445-480, June.
    3. Federico Riccio & Lorenzo Cresti & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2022. "The labour share along global value chains. Perspectives and evidence from sectoral interdependence," LEM Papers Series 2022/11, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    4. Alexander Guschanski & Özlem Onaran, 2018. "Determinants of the Wage Share: A Cross-country Comparison Using Sectoral Data," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 19(02), pages 44-54, July.
    5. Federico Riccio & Giovanni Dosi & Maria Enrica Virgillito, 2023. "Smile without a reason why: functional specialisation and income distribution along global value chains," LEM Papers Series 2023/31, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    6. Matteo G. Richiardi & Luis Valenzuela, 2024. "Firm heterogeneity and the aggregate labour share," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 38(1), pages 66-101, March.
    7. Cauvel, Michael & Pacitti, Aaron, 2022. "Bargaining power, structural change, and the falling U.S. labor share," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 512-530.
    8. Andrea Coveri & Mario Pianta, 2019. "The Structural Dynamics of Income Distribution:Technology, Wages and Profits," Working Papers 1901, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2019.
    9. Guschanski, Alexander & Onaran, Özlem, 2017. "The political economy of income distribution: industry level evidence from 14 OECD countries," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 17518, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    10. Alessandro Bellocchi & Giovanni Marin & Giuseppe Travaglini, 2021. "The Great Fall of Labor Share:Micro Determinants for EU Countries Over 2011-2019," Working Papers 2102, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2021.
    11. Coveri, Andrea & Pianta, Mario, 2022. "Drivers of inequality: wages vs. profits in European industries," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 230-242.
    12. Amendola, Marco & Ciampa, Valerio & Germani, Lorenzo, 2024. "The distributional effects of labour market deregulation: Wage share and fixed-term contracts," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 328-338.
    13. Ugur, Mehmet, 2024. "Innovation, market power and the labour share: Evidence from OECD industries," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 203(C).
    14. Guschanski, Alexander & Onaran, Özlem, 2018. "The labour share and financialisation: Evidence from publicly listed firms," Greenwich Papers in Political Economy 19371, University of Greenwich, Greenwich Political Economy Research Centre.
    15. Stirati, Antonella & Paternesi Meloni, Walter, 2021. "Unemployment and the wage share: a long-run exploration for major mature economies," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 330-352.
    16. Garcia-Lazaro, Aida & Pearce, Nick, 2023. "Intangible capital, the labour share and national ‘growth regimes’," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 674-695.
    17. Dagmara Nikulin & Joanna Wolszczak-Derlacz & Aleksandra Parteka, 2022. "Working Conditions in Global Value Chains: Evidence for European Employees," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 36(4), pages 701-721, August.
    18. Ibarra, Carlos A. & Ros, Jaime, 2023. "Trade and factor intensity, and the transmission of the global shock to labor: A panel analysis of the fall of the labor income share in the Mexican manufacturing sector," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 47(1).
    19. Chrisp, Joe & Garcia-Lazaro, Aida & Pearce, Nick, 2023. "Technological chance and growth regimes: Assessing the case for universal basic income in an era declining labour shares," FRIBIS Discussion Paper Series 01-2023, University of Freiburg, Freiburg Institute for Basic Income Studies (FRIBIS).
    20. Walter Paternesi Meloni & Antonella Stirati, 2021. "What has driven the delinking of wages from productivity? A political economy-based investigation for high-income economies," Working Papers PKWP2104, Post Keynesian Economics Society (PKES).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    labour share; income distribution; emerging economies; global value chains; union density; technological change;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • F66 - International Economics - - Economic Impacts of Globalization - - - Labor
    • J50 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gpe:wpaper:31973. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Nadine Edwards (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/pegreuk.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.