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German trade unions after unification — Third degree wage discriminating monopolists?

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  • Michael Burda
  • Michael Funke

Abstract

After unification, real wages in Eastern Germany rose rapidly relative to labour productivity despite high and rising levels of unemployment. This substantial increase in wage levels relative to those in Western Germany is difficult to explain without recourse to models of union behaviour or collective bargaining. This paper applies and extends such models and evaluates plausible explanations for recent short-run wage developments in the ex-GDR.
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  • Michael Burda & Michael Funke, 1993. "German trade unions after unification — Third degree wage discriminating monopolists?," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 129(3), pages 537-560, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:weltar:v:129:y:1993:i:3:p:537-560
    DOI: 10.1007/BF02708001
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    Cited by:

    1. Sinn, Hans-Werner, 1992. "Privatization in East Germany," Public Finance = Finances publiques, , vol. 47(Supplemen), pages 152-171.
    2. Gilles Saint-Paul, 1997. "Economic Integration, Factor Mobility, and Wage Convergence," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 4(3), pages 291-306, July.
    3. Felix Fitzroy & Michael Funke, 1998. "Skills, Wages and Employment in East and West Germany," Regional Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 32(5), pages 459-467.
    4. Franz, Wolfgang, 1991. "German labour markets after unification," Discussion Papers, Series II 162, University of Konstanz, Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 178 "Internationalization of the Economy".
    5. Basu, Bharati, 2009. "Another look at mass migration and unions in Western Europe," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 26(5), pages 878-885, September.
    6. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    7. Frank Siebern, 2000. "Better LATE? Instrumental Variables Estimation of the Returns to Job Mobility during Transition," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 1(3), pages 335-362, August.
    8. Rudiger Dornbusch & Holger C. Wolf, 1994. "East German Economic Reconstruction," NBER Chapters, in: The Transition in Eastern Europe, Volume 1, Country Studies, pages 155-190, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Franz, Wolfgang, 1991. "Im Jahr danach: Bestandsaufnahme und Analyse der Arbeitsmarktentwicklung in Ostdeutschland," Discussion Papers, Series II 159, University of Konstanz, Collaborative Research Centre (SFB) 178 "Internationalization of the Economy".
    10. Snower, Dennis J. & Merkl, Christian, 2006. "The Caring Hand that Cripples: The East German Labor Market After Reunification (Detailed Version)," IZA Discussion Papers 2066, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    11. Justus Haucap & Christian Wey, 2004. "Unionisation structures and innovation incentives," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 114(494), pages 149-165, March.
    12. Fuest, Clemens & Thum, Marcel, 2001. "Immigration and skill formation in unionised labour markets," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 557-573, September.
    13. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    14. Steiner, Viktor & Puhani, Patrick A., 1996. "Die Entwicklung der Lohnstruktur im ostdeutschen Transformationsprozeß," ZEW Discussion Papers 96-03, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    15. Wolfgang Franz & Viktor Steiner, 2000. "Wages in the East German Transition Process: Facts and Explanations," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 1(3), pages 241-269, August.
    16. Böhm, Sebastian, 2015. "Regional economic integration and factor mobility in unified Germany," FSES Working Papers 463, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, University of Freiburg/Fribourg Switzerland.
    17. Faini, Riccardo, 1996. "Increasing returns, migrations and convergence," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(1), pages 121-136, April.
    18. Steiner, Viktor & Bellmann, Lutz, 1994. "The East German wage structure in the transition to a market economy," ZEW Discussion Papers 94-17, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    19. Arne Heise, 2002. "Theorie optimaler Lohnräume: zur Tarifpolitik in der Europäischen Währungsunion," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 71(3), pages 368-383.
    20. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179.
    21. Christian Thimann & Michael Breitner, 1995. "Eastern Germany and the conflict between wage adjustment, investment, and employment: A numerical analysis," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 131(3), pages 446-469, September.
    22. Frank Scharr, 2005. "Tarifbindung, Rententeilung und Konzessionsverträge als Einflussgrößen der Lohnhöhe in Unternehmen : eine Untersuchung mit Mikrodaten für thüringische Firmen," ifo Dresden Studien, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, number 39.
    23. Brauer, Holger & Falk, Martin & Raiser, Martin, 1996. "Labour markets in Poland and Hungary five years from the start of transition: Evidence from monthly data," Kiel Working Papers 742, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    24. Steinhardt, Max Friedrich, 2006. "Arbeitsmarkt und Migration: Eine empirische Analyse der Lohn- und Beschäftigungseffekte der Zuwanderung für Deutschland," HWWI Research Papers 3-4, Hamburg Institute of International Economics (HWWI).

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • J61 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Geographic Labor Mobility; Immigrant Workers
    • O50 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - General

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