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Explaining Variations in Wage Curves: Theory and Evidence

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Author Info
Barth, Erling () (Institute for Social Research)
Bratsberg, Bernt () (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)
Naylor, Robin A. () (University of Warwick, Department of Economics)
Raaum, Oddbjørn () (Ragnar Frisch Centre for Economic Research)

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Abstract

This paper presents both theoretical analysis and econometric evidence for the United States, Great Britain and Norway on the extent to which hourly wages of different groups of workers are sensitive to local labour market conditions. We focus on differences by union status. Our theoretical framework captures both a turnover-based efficiency wage mechanism and one originating in union-firm bargaining. Under fairly general conditions, we show that wages are less sensitive to local unemployment the higher is the bargaining power of the union. In accordance with this theoretical prediction, we find that the absolute value of the elasticity of wages with respect to unemployment is higher in the nonunion sector than in the union sector for all three countries. We interpret the evidence as giving support to an efficiency wage interpretation of the wage curve.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by Oslo University, Department of Economics in its series Memorandum with number 03/2002.

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Length: 59 pages
Date of creation: 05 Jan 2002
Date of revision:
Handle: RePEc:hhs:osloec:2002_003

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Postal: Department of Economics, University of Oslo, P.O Box 1095 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
Phone: 22 85 51 27
Fax: 22 85 50 35
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Related research
Keywords: Wage curves; efficiency wages; bargaining;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
J41 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Labor Contracts
J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects

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. Bratsberg, Bernt & Turunen, Jarkko, 1996. "Wage curve evidence from panel data," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 51(3), pages 345-353, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Andrews, Martyn J. & Stewart, Mark B. & Swaffield, Joanna K. & Upward, Richard, 1998. "The estimation of union wage differentials and the impact of methodological choices," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(4), pages 449-474, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
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  10. Holden, Steinar & Raaum, Oddbjorn, 1991. "Wage Moderation and Union Structure," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 43(3), pages 409-23, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  11. Judith K. Hellerstein & David Neumark & Kenneth R. Troske, 1997. "Market Forces and Sex Discrimination," NBER Working Papers 6321, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Campbell, Carl & Orszag, J. Michael, 1998. "A model of the wage curve," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 59(1), pages 119-125, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Olivier Jean Blanchard & Lawrence Katz, 1999. "Wage Dynamics: Reconciling Theory and Evidence," NBER Working Papers 6924, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  14. B Bell & Stephen Nickell & Glenda Quintini, 2000. "Wage Equations, Wage Curves and All That," CEP Discussion Papers dp0472, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Green, Francis & Machin, Stephen & Manning, Alan, 1996. "The Employer Size-Wage Effect: Can Dynamic Monopsony Provide an Explanation?," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 48(3), pages 433-55, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  17. Shapiro, Carl & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1984. "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 433-44, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  18. Barth, Erling & Raaum, Oddbjorn & Naylor, Robin, 2000. "Union Wage Effects: Does Membership Matter?," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 68(3), pages 259-75, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. repec:fth:prinin:343 is not listed on IDEAS
  20. Moulton, Brent R, 1990. "An Illustration of a Pitfall in Estimating the Effects of Aggregate Variables on Micro Unit," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 72(2), pages 334-38, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  23. Nachum Sicherman, 1996. "Gender Differences in Departure from a Large Firm," NBER Working Papers 4279, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  27. Turunen, Jarkko, 1998. "Disaggregated Wage Curves in the United States: Evidence from Panel Data of Young Workers," Applied Economics, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 30(12), pages 1665-77, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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    Other versions:
Full references

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. Barth, Erling & Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn, 2003. "Local Unemployment and the Earnings Assimilation of Immigrants in Norway," Memorandum 19/2002, Oslo University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  2. Inmaculada García-Mainar & Víctor Montuenga-Gómez, 2003. "The Spanish Wage Curve: 1994-1996," Regional Studies, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 37(9), pages 929-945, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Marisa Bucheli & Cecilia González, 2007. "An estimation of the wage curve for Uruguay," Documentos de Trabajo (working papers) 1107, Department of Economics - dECON. [Downloadable!]
  4. Torberg Falch & Bjarne Strøm, 2003. "Wage Bargaining and Political Strength in the Public Sector," Working Paper Series 3203, Department of Economics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Barth, Erling & Bratsberg, Bernt & Raaum, Oddbjørn, 2003. "Local Unemployment and the Relative Wages of Immigrants: Evidence from the Current Population Surveys," Memorandum 20/2002, Oslo University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. David G. Blanchflower & Andrew J. Oswald, 2005. "The Wage Curve Reloaded," IZA Discussion Papers 1665, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. David Castro Lugo, 2006. "Curva salarial: una aplicación para el caso de México, 1993-2002," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 21(2), pages 233-273. [Downloadable!]
  8. Anna Sanz de Galdeano & Jarkko Turunen, 2005. "Real wages and local unemployment in the euro area," Working Paper Series 471, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
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