Unionisation structures and heterogeneous firms

"The effects of unions on productivity and firm performance have been the topic of extensive research. Existing studies have, however, primarily focused on firm-level bargaining and on markets that are characterised by a small and fixed number of identical firms. This paper studies how differen...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Braun, Sebastian
Institution:ETUI-European Trade Union Institute
Format: TEXT
Language:English
Published: Kiel 2009
IFW Kiel
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.labourline.org/KENTIKA-19178293124919964759-unionisation-structures-and-he.htm
Description
Summary:"The effects of unions on productivity and firm performance have been the topic of extensive research. Existing studies have, however, primarily focused on firm-level bargaining and on markets that are characterised by a small and fixed number of identical firms. This paper studies how different unionisation structures affect firm productivity and firm performance in a monopolistic competition model with heterogeneous firms and free entry. While centralised bargaining induces tougher selection among heterogeneous producers and thus increases average productivity, firm-level bargaining allows less productive entrants to remain in the market. Centralised bargaining also results in higher average output and profit levels than either decentralised bargaining or a competitive labour market. From the perspective of consumers, the choice between centralised and decentralised bargaining involves a potential trade-off between product variety and product prices."
Physical Description:17 p.
Digital