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Wage Dispersion and Productive Efficiency: Evidence for Sweden

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Author Info
Hibbs, Douglas A, Jr
Locking, Hakan

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Abstract

The Swedish record of enormous compression of relative wages under centralized "solidarity" bargaining, followed by substantial decompression of wages after central bargaining broke down, supplies observations well suited to empirical evaluation of arguments about the response of productive efficiency to shifts in wage distribution. We obtain no results supporting "fairness, morale, and cohesiveness" theories implying that wage leveling within workplaces and industries may enhance productivity. Reduction of interindustry wage differentials evidently did, however, contribute positively to aggregate output and productivity growth, most likely for the structural reasons first emphasized by Swedish trade union economists almost a half century ago. Copyright 2000 by University of Chicago Press.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by University of Chicago Press in its journal Journal of Labor Economics.

Volume (Year): 18 (2000)
Issue (Month): 4 (October)
Pages: 755-82
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Handle: RePEc:ucp:jlabec:v:18:y:2000:i:4:p:755-82

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References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
  1. Hibbs, Douglas Jr. & Locking, Hakan, 1996. "Wage compression, wage drift and wage inflation in Sweden," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 109-141, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Per-Anders Edin & Bertil Holmlund, 1995. "The Swedish Wage Structure: The Rise and Fall of Solidarity Wage Policy?," NBER Chapters, in: Differences and Changes in Wage Structures, pages 307-344 National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Agell, Jonas & Lommerud, Kjell Erik, 1993. " Egalitarianism and Growth," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 95(4), pages 559-79, December.
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  4. Akerlof, George A & Yellen, Janet L, 1990. "The Fair Wage-Effort Hypothesis and Unemployment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 105(2), pages 255-83, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Alan B. Krueger & Lawrence H. Summers, 1987. "Reflections on the Inter-Industry Wage Structure," NBER Working Papers 1968, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Lundberg, Erik, 1985. "The Rise and Fall of the Swedish Model," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 23(1), pages 1-36, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Gordon, Robert J, 1986. "Productivity, Wages and Prices Inside and Outside of Manufacturing in the US, Japan and Europe," CEPR Discussion Papers 134, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Steven J. Davis, 1992. "Cross-Country Patterns of Change in Relative Wages," NBER Working Papers 4085, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  9. Levine, David I, 1992. "Can Wage Increases Pay for Themselves? Tests with a Production Function," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(414), pages 1102-15, September. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Edin, Per-Anders & Zetterberg, Johnny, 1992. "Interindustry Wage Differentials: Evidence from Sweden and a Comparison with the United States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(5), pages 1341-49, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Agell, Jonas & Lundborg, Per, 1995. " Theories of Pay and Unemployment: Survey Evidence from Swedish Manufacturing Firms," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 97(2), pages 295-307, June.
  12. Akerlof, George A & Yellen, Janet L, 1988. "Fairness and Unemployment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 78(2), pages 44-49, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Addison, John T & Hirsch, Barry T, 1989. "Union Effects on Productivity, Profits, and Growth: Has the Long Run Arrived?," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 7(1), pages 72-105, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Moene, Karl Ove & Wallerstein, Michael, 1997. "Pay Inequality," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(3), pages 403-30, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  15. Flam, Harry, 1987. " Equal Pay for Unequal Work," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 89(4), pages 435-50.
  16. Pehkonen, Jaakko, 1995. "Wages and productivity growth in the Nordic countries," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(6), pages 1181-1196, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Francine D. Blau & Lawrence M. Kahn, 1996. "International Differences in Male Wage Inequality: Institutions versus Market Forces," NBER Working Papers 4678, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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