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Employment Concentration and Resource Allocation: One-Company Towns in Russia

Author

Listed:
  • Commander, Simon

    (IE Business School, Altura Partners)

  • Nikoloski, Zlatko

    (London School of Economics)

  • Plekhanov, Alexander

    (EBRD, London)

Abstract

The paper looks at the effects of employment concentration on resource allocation with a particular focus on one-company towns in Russia defined as towns where a single company accounts for a significant share of total employment of the locality. Empirical analysis of firms' production functions indicates that companies located in one-company towns are characterised by lower marginal product of labour, higher marginal product of capital and lower overall productivity pointing towards significant labour hoarding. One-company town enterprises are also found to be financially more vulnerable. The paper argues that the dominance of natural resources in the Russian economy and employment concentration is closely linked.

Suggested Citation

  • Commander, Simon & Nikoloski, Zlatko & Plekhanov, Alexander, 2011. "Employment Concentration and Resource Allocation: One-Company Towns in Russia," IZA Discussion Papers 6034, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp6034
    as

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    File URL: https://docs.iza.org/dp6034.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Halvor Mehlum & Karl Moene & Ragnar Torvik, 2006. "Institutions and the Resource Curse," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(508), pages 1-20, January.
    2. Robinson, James A. & Torvik, Ragnar & Verdier, Thierry, 2006. "Political foundations of the resource curse," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(2), pages 447-468, April.
    3. Rama, Martin & Scott, Kinnon, 1999. "Labor Earnings in One-Company Towns: Theory and Evidence from Kazakhstan," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 13(1), pages 185-209, January.
    4. Rein,Martin & Friedman,Barry L. & Wörgötter,Andreas (ed.), 1997. "Enterprise and Social Benefits after Communism," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521584036, September.
    5. Brown, A.N. & Ickes, B. & Ryterman, R., 1993. "The Myth of Monopoly: A New View of Industrial Structure in Russia," Papers 10-93-5, Pennsylvania State - Department of Economics.
    6. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/106i379teb8moplr2gknsi2nfd is not listed on IDEAS
    7. van Wijnbergen, Sweder J G, 1984. "The 'Dutch Disease': A Disease after All?," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 94(373), pages 41-55, March.
    8. Fishback, Price V. & Lauszus, Dieter, 1989. "The Quality of Services in Company Towns: Sanitation in Coal Towns During the 1920s," The Journal of Economic History, Cambridge University Press, vol. 49(1), pages 125-144, March.
    9. Rajan, Raghuram G & Zingales, Luigi, 1995. "What Do We Know about Capital Structure? Some Evidence from International Data," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(5), pages 1421-1460, December.
    10. W. E. G. Salter, 1959. "Internal And External Balance: The Role Op Price And Expenditure Effects," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 35(71), pages 226-238, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Cited by:

    1. Riccardo Crescenzi & Alexander Jaax, 2017. "Innovation in Russia: The Territorial Dimension," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 93(1), pages 66-88, January.
    2. Guido Friebel & Helena Schweiger, 2012. "Management quality, firm performance and market pressure in Russia," Working Papers 144, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Office of the Chief Economist.
    3. Davydova, Yulia & Sokolov, Vladimir, 2014. "The real effects of financial constraints: Evidence from a debt subsidization program targeted at strategic firms," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 247-265.
    4. Michael Rochlitz, 2016. "Political Loyalty Vs Economic Performance: Evidence from Machine Politics in Russia’S Regions," HSE Working papers WP BRP 34/PS/2016, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    5. Luis Eduardo Quintero & Paula Restrepo, 2018. "Market Access and the Concentration of Economic Activity in a System of Declining Cities," REGION, European Regional Science Association, vol. 5, pages 97-109.
    6. Helena Schweiger & Guido Friebel, 2013. "Management Quality, Ownership, Firm Performance and Market Pressure in Russia," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 763-788, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    employment concentration; one-company towns; labour productivity; Russia;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D24 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Production; Cost; Capital; Capital, Total Factor, and Multifactor Productivity; Capacity
    • J42 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Monopsony; Segmented Labor Markets
    • R23 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Household Analysis - - - Regional Migration; Regional Labor Markets; Population

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