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Employment, hours and the welfare effects of intra-firm bargaining

Author

Listed:
  • Maarten Dossche

    (ECB - European Central Bank - European Central Bank)

  • Vivien Lewis

    (Research Centre, Deutsche Bundesbank - Deutsche Bundesbank)

  • Céline Poilly

    (AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Bilateral bargaining between a multiple-worker firm and individual employees leads to overhiring. With a concave production function, the firm can reduce the marginal product by hiring an additional worker, thereby reducing the bargaining wage paid to all existing employees. We show that this externality is amplified when firms can adjust hours per worker as well as employment. Firms keep down workers' wage demands by reducing the number of hours per worker and the resulting labor disutility. Our finding is particularly relevant for European economies where hours adjustment plays an important role.

Suggested Citation

  • Maarten Dossche & Vivien Lewis & Céline Poilly, 2019. "Employment, hours and the welfare effects of intra-firm bargaining," Post-Print hal-01995026, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01995026
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2018.09.002
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://amu.hal.science/hal-01995026
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    Cited by:

    1. Maarten Dossche & Andrea Gavazzi & Vivien Lewis, 2023. "Labor Adjustment and Productivity in the OECD," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 47, pages 111-130, January.
    2. Bjoern Bruegemann, 2023. "Invariance of Unemployment and Vacancy Dynamics with Respect to Diminishing Returns to Labor at the Firm Level," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 915-942, December.
    3. Pauline Carry, 2022. "The Effects of the Legal Minimum Working Time on Workers, Firms and the Labor Market," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-04067393, HAL.
    4. Matthias S. Hertweck & Vivien Lewis & Stefania Villa, 2021. "Going the Extra Mile: Effort by Workers and Job‐Seekers," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(8), pages 2099-2127, December.
    5. NI Bin & KATO Hayato & LIU Yang, 2020. "Does It Matter Where You Invest? The Impact of FDI on Domestic Job Creation and Destruction," Discussion papers 20008, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    6. Maarten Dossche & Andrea Gavazzi & Vivien Lewis, 2023. "Labor Adjustment and Productivity in the OECD," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 47, pages 111-130, January.
    7. Andrew T. Foerster & José Mustre‐Del‐Río, 2022. "Search with Wage Posting under Sticky Prices," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 54(2-3), pages 599-626, March.
    8. Kudoh, Noritaka & Miyamoto, Hiroaki, 2023. "Do general equilibrium effects matter for labor market dynamics?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 119(C).
    9. Pauline Carry, 2022. "The Effects of the Legal Minimum Working Time on Workers, Firms and the Labor Market," Working Papers hal-04067393, HAL.
    10. Lewis, Vivien & Villa, Stefania & Wolters, Maik H., 2019. "Labor productivity, effort and the euro area business cycle," Discussion Papers 44/2019, Deutsche Bundesbank.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Overhiring; Employment; Hours; Intrafirm bargaining;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D62 - Microeconomics - - Welfare Economics - - - Externalities
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
    • E64 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Incomes Policy; Price Policy
    • H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation

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