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Between Institutions and Global Forces: Norwegian Wage Formation Since Industrialisation

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  • Ragnar Nymoen

    (Department of Economics, University of Oslo, POB 1095 0317 Oslo, Norway
    Centre for Wage Formation at Economic Analysis, POB 0650, Oslo, Norway)

Abstract

This paper reviews the development of labour market institutions in Norway, shows how labour market regulation has been related to the macroeconomic development, and presents dynamic econometric models of nominal and real wages. Single equation and multi-equation models are reported. The econometric modelling uses a new data set with historical time series of wages and prices, unemployment and labour productivity. Impulse indicator saturation is used to achieve robust estimation of focus parameters, and the breaks are interpreted in the light of the historical overview. A relatively high degree of constancy of the key parameters of the wage setting equation is documented, over a considerably longer historical time period than earlier studies have done. The evidence is consistent with the view that the evolving system of collective labour market regulation over long periods has delivered a certain necessary level of coordination of wage and price setting. Nevertheless, there is also evidence that global forces have been at work for a long time, in a way that links real wages to productivity trends in the same way as in countries with very different institutions and macroeconomic development.

Suggested Citation

  • Ragnar Nymoen, 2017. "Between Institutions and Global Forces: Norwegian Wage Formation Since Industrialisation," Econometrics, MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-54, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jecnmx:v:5:y:2017:i:1:p:6-:d:87593
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Erling Barth & Henning Finseraas & Anders Kjelsrud & Kalle Moene, 2023. "Hit by the Silk Road: how wage coordination in Europe mitigates the China shock," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 125(1), pages 32-72, January.
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    4. Iacono, Roberto & Ranaldi, Marco, 2020. "The wage curve across the wealth distribution," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    5. Ragnar Nymoen & Victoria Sparrman & Bjorn Dapi, 2019. "Robustness of the Norwegian wage formation system and free EU labour movement. Evidence from wage data for natives," Discussion Papers 895, Statistics Norway, Research Department.

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