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Globalization and Union Opposition to Technological Change

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Author Info
Lommerud, Kjell Erik
Meland, Frode
Straume, Odd Rune

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Abstract

We find that trade unions have a rational incentive to oppose the adoption of labour-saving technology when labour demand is inelastic and unions care much for employment relative to wages. Trade liberalization typically increases trade union technology opposition. These conclusions are reached in a model of international duopoly with monopoly wage setting in one of the countries, and two-way trade. An important stepping-stone for the result is to note that even though trade liberalization means a tougher competitive environment for firms, labour demand tends to increase. We also find that the incentive for technology opposition is stronger in the more technologically advanced country and in the country with the larger home market, complementing earlier explanations for technological catch-up and leapfrogging.

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Paper provided by C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers in its series CEPR Discussion Papers with number 4836.

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Date of creation: Jan 2005
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Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:4836

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Related research
Keywords: international unionized oligopoly; technology adaption; trade liberalization;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
F12 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Models of Trade with Imperfect Competition and Scale Economies
F16 - International Economics - - Trade - - - Trade and Labor Market Interactions
J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets
O33 - Economic Development, Technological Change, and Growth - - Technological Change - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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Cited by:
(explanations, 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. Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume, 2008. "Employment Protection versus Flexicurity: On Technology Adoption in Unionised Firms," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
  2. Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume, 2007. "Technology resistance and globalisation with trade unions: the choice between employment protection and flexicurity," NIPE Working Papers 25/2007, NIPE - Universidade do Minho. [Downloadable!]
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