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Explaining Movements in the Labor Share

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Author Info
Samuel Bentolila
Gilles Saint Paul

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Abstract

In this paper we study the evolution of the labor share in the OECD since 1970. We show it is essentially related to the capital-output ratio; that this relationship is shifted by factors like the price of imported materials or the skill mix; and that discrepancies between the marginal product of labor and the real wage (due to, e.g., product market power, union bargaining, and labor adjustment costs) cause departures from it. We provide estimates of the model with panel data on 14 industries and 14 countries for 1973-93 and use them to compute the evolution of the wage gap in Germany and the US.

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Paper provided by Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra in its series Economics Working Papers with number 374.

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Date of creation: Apr 1999
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Handle: RePEc:upf:upfgen:374

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Related research
Keywords: Labor share; capital-output ratio;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomics: Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General

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  1. Arellano, Manuel & Bond, Stephen, 1991. "Some Tests of Specification for Panel Data: Monte Carlo Evidence and an Application to Employment Equations," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 58(2), pages 277-97, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. Bean, Charles R, 1994. "European Unemployment: A Survey," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 32(2), pages 573-619, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Bentolila, Samuel & Bertola, Giuseppe, 1990. "Firing Costs and Labour Demand: How Bad Is Eurosclerosis?," Review of Economic Studies, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 57(3), pages 381-402, July. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Caballero, Ricardo J. & Hammour, Mohamad L., 1998. "Jobless growth: appropriability, factor substitution, and unemployment," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 51-94, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Olivier Blanchard, 1998. "Revisiting European Unemployment: Unemployment, Capital Accumulation, and Factor Prices," NBER Working Papers 6566, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Nickell, Stephen J, 1977. "The Influence of Uncertainty on Investment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 87(345), pages 47-70, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. R Blundell & Steven Bond, . "Initial conditions and moment restrictions in dynamic panel data model," Economics Papers W14&104., Economics Group, Nuffield College, University of Oxford. [Downloadable!]
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  9. Nickell, Stephen, 1997. "Unemployment and Labor Market Rigidities: Europe versus North America," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 11(3), pages 55-74, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Rotemberg, Julio J & Woodford, Michael, 1992. "Oligopolistic Pricing and the Effects of Aggregate Demand on Economic Activity," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 100(6), pages 1153-1207, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Alejandro Cuñat & Marco Maffezzoli, . "Heckscher-Ohlin Business Cycles," Working Papers 210, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Cliff L. F. Attfield & Jonathan R. W. Temple, 2006. "Balanced growth and the great ratios: new evidence for the US and UK," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 75, Economics, The Univeristy of Manchester. [Downloadable!]
  3. Olivier Blanchard & Francesco Giavazzi, 2001. "Macroeconomic Effects of Regulation and Deregulation in Goods and Labor Markets," NBER Working Papers 8120, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. Josef Zweimueller, . "Inequality, Redistribution, and Economic Growth," IEW - Working Papers iewwp031, Institute for Empirical Research in Economics - IEW. [Downloadable!]
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  5. Ravi Balakrishnan & J David L½pez-Salido, . "Understanding UK inflation: the role of openness," Bank of England working papers 164, Bank of England. [Downloadable!]
  6. Luca Deidda & Fabio Cerina, 2002. "Do we need more time for leisure?," Working Paper CRENoS 200203, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia. [Downloadable!]
  7. Andrea Vindigni, 2002. "Uncertainty and the Politics of Employment Protection," Working Papers 844, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Industrial Relations Section.. [Downloadable!]
  8. Kauppi , Heikki & Koskela , Erkki & Stenbacka , Rune, 2004. "Equilibrium unemployment and investment under product and labour market imperfections," Research Discussion Papers 11/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
  9. Andrew Brigden & Jonathan Thomas, . "What does economic theory tell us about labour market tightness?," Bank of England working papers 185, Bank of England. [Downloadable!]
  10. Simone Bertoli & Francesco Farina, 2007. "The functional distribution of income: a review of the theoretical literature and of the empirical evidence around its recent pattern in European countries," Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID) University of Siena 005, Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID), University of Siena. [Downloadable!]
  11. Andreas Hornstein & Per Krussell & Giovanni L. Violante, 2002. "Vintage capital as an origin of inequalities," Working Paper 02-02, Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.
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  12. Nicoletta Batini & Brian Jackson & Stephen Nickell, 2000. "Inflation Dynamics and the Labour Share in the UK," Discussion Papers 02, Monetary Policy Committee Unit, Bank of England. [Downloadable!]
  13. Bergljot Barkbu & Vincenzo Cassino & Aileen Gosselin-Lotz & Laura Piscitelli, . "The New Keynesian Phillips Curve in the United States and the euro area: aggregation bias, stability and robustness," Bank of England working papers 285, Bank of England. [Downloadable!]
  14. Edith Gagnon & Hashmat Khan, 2001. "New Phillips Curve with Alternative Marginal Cost Measures forCanada, the United States, and the Euro Area," Working Papers 01-25, Bank of Canada. [Downloadable!]
  15. Matti Virén, 2005. "Why do capital intensive companies pay higher wages?," Labor and Demography 0508014, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  16. Carla Massidda, 2005. "Estimating the New Keynesian Phillips Curve for Italian Manufacturing Sectors," Working Papers 2005.12, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei. [Downloadable!]
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