IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wes/weswpa/2020-005.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Nash Bargaining Solution in Labor Market Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Gilbert L. Skillman

    (Department of Economics, Wesleyan University)

Abstract

The non-symmetric Nash bargaining solution is frequently applied in the study of labor market outcomes, but the axiomatic approach in which it is grounded offers little guidance as to the determinants of agents’ threat points and relative bargaining power. This paper modifies the Rubinstein-Wolinsky (1985) sequential matching and bargaining model to study the role of individual bargaining costs, status quo payoffs, and outside options in determining bargaining power weights and threat points in Nash bargaining solution. Key results differentiate the strategic implications of fixed and time discount-based bargaining costs and demonstrate the general validity of the Nash bargaining solution in characterizing steady-state market outcomes in which outside options are endogenously determined. In this scenario, agents’ relative bargaining weights depend on their matching probabilities.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilbert L. Skillman, 2020. "The Nash Bargaining Solution in Labor Market Analysis," Wesleyan Economics Working Papers 2020-005, Wesleyan University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:wes:weswpa:2020-005
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://repec.wesleyan.edu/pdf/gskillman/2020005_skillman.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rubinstein, Ariel, 1982. "Perfect Equilibrium in a Bargaining Model," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 50(1), pages 97-109, January.
    2. Tavani, Daniele, 2012. "Wage bargaining and induced technical change in a linear economy: Model and application to the US (1963–2003)," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 117-126.
    3. Nash, John, 1953. "Two-Person Cooperative Games," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 21(1), pages 128-140, April.
    4. Brenzel, Hanna & Gartner, Hermann & Schnabel, Claus, 2014. "Wage bargaining or wage posting? Evidence from the employers' side," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 41-48.
    5. Ken Binmore & Ariel Rubinstein & Asher Wolinsky, 1986. "The Nash Bargaining Solution in Economic Modelling," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 17(2), pages 176-188, Summer.
    6. Sarbajit Chaudhuri, 2016. "Trade Unionism and Welfare Consequences of Trade and Investment Reforms in A Developing Economy," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(1), pages 152-171, February.
    7. Thomas Ziesemer, 2005. "Monopolistic Competition And Search Unemployment," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 56(3), pages 334-359, July.
    8. Robert E. Hall & Alan B. Krueger, 2012. "Evidence on the Incidence of Wage Posting, Wage Bargaining, and On-the-Job Search," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 4(4), pages 56-67, October.
    9. Rubinstein, Ariel & Wolinsky, Asher, 1985. "Equilibrium in a Market with Sequential Bargaining," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 53(5), pages 1133-1150, September.
    10. Jonathan F. Cogliano & Roberto Veneziani & Naoki Yoshihara, 2016. "The Dynamics of Exploitation and Class in Accumulation Economies," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 242-290, May.
    11. Kornelius Kraft & Jörg Stank & Ralf Dewenter, 2011. "Co-determination and innovation," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Cambridge Political Economy Society, vol. 35(1), pages 145-172.
    12. Samwick, Andrew A., 1998. "Discount rate heterogeneity and social security reform," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 117-146, October.
    13. Chandril Bhattacharyya & Manash Ranjan Gupta, 2015. "Unionized Labour Market, Unemployment Allowances, Productive Public Expenditure And Endogenous Growth," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(3), pages 397-425, July.
    14. Daniele Tavani, 2013. "Bargaining over productivity and wages when technical change is induced: implications for growth, distribution, and employment," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 109(3), pages 207-244, July.
    15. Glenn W. Harrison & Morten I. Lau & Melonie B. Williams, 2002. "Estimating Individual Discount Rates in Denmark: A Field Experiment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(5), pages 1606-1617, December.
    16. Gale, Douglas, 1987. "Limit theorems for markets with sequential bargaining," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 43(1), pages 20-54, October.
    17. Ken Binmore & Avner Shared & John Sutton, 1989. "An Outside Option Experiment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 104(4), pages 753-770.
    18. Sattinger, Michael & Hartog, Joop, 2013. "Nash bargaining and the wage consequences of educational mismatches," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 50-56.
    19. Catia Montagna & Antonella Nocco, 2015. "(De)Unionization, Trade Liberalization and Selection," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 66(1), pages 91-122, February.
    20. Merkl, Christian & Schmitz, Tom, 2011. "Macroeconomic volatilities and the labor market: First results from the euro experiment," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 44-60, March.
    21. Gilbert L. Skillman, 2016. "Wealth Inequality and Economic Power: A Sequential Bargaining Analysis," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 67(2), pages 291-312, May.
    22. Max Albert & Jürgen Meckl, 2003. "Involuntary Unemployment and the Existence of GDP Functions," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(1), pages 79-88, February.
    23. Scaramozzino, Pasquale, 1991. "Bargaining with Outside Options: Wages and Employment in UK Manufacturing 1974-82," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 101(405), pages 331-342, March.
    24. Lechthaler, Wolfgang & Snower, Dennis J., 2012. "Institutions and training inequality," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 88-104.
    25. Skillman, Gilbert L., 2018. "Asset Inequality, Economic Vulnerability And Relational Exploitation," Economics and Philosophy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(3), pages 343-368, November.
    26. Nash, John, 1950. "The Bargaining Problem," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 18(2), pages 155-162, April.
    27. Falch, Torberg, 2001. "Collective bargaining in the public sector and the role of budget determination," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 75-99, March.
    28. A. J. Julius, 2009. "The Wage–Wage‐ . . . ‐Wage–Profit Relation In A Multisector Bargaining Economy," Metroeconomica, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 60(3), pages 537-559, July.
    29. Robert E. Hall & Alan B. Krueger, 2010. "Evidence on the Determinants of the Choice between Wage Posting and Wage Bargaining," NBER Working Papers 16033, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    30. Arjun Jayadev, 2007. "Capital account openness and the labour share of income," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 31(3), pages 423-443, May.
    31. Lawrance, Emily C, 1991. "Poverty and the Rate of Time Preference: Evidence from Panel Data," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(1), pages 54-77, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Simon Jäger & Benjamin Schoefer & Samuel Young & Josef Zweimüller, 2020. "Wages and the Value of Nonemployment," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(4), pages 1905-1963.
    2. Binmore, Ken & Osborne, Martin J. & Rubinstein, Ariel, 1992. "Noncooperative models of bargaining," Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, in: R.J. Aumann & S. Hart (ed.), Handbook of Game Theory with Economic Applications, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 7, pages 179-225, Elsevier.
    3. Abbring, Jaap H., 1999. "Commitment and wage bargaining in job matching models with costly search," Serie Research Memoranda 0021, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    4. Guth, Werner & Ritzberger, Klaus & van Damme, Eric, 2004. "On the Nash bargaining solution with noise," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 697-713, June.
    5. Cho, In-Koo & Matsui, Akihiko, 2013. "Search theory, competitive equilibrium, and the Nash bargaining solution," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 148(4), pages 1659-1688.
    6. Roberto Serrano, 2007. "Bargaining," Working Papers 2007-06, Instituto Madrileño de Estudios Avanzados (IMDEA) Ciencias Sociales.
    7. Agranov, M. & Elliott, M., 2017. "Commitment and (In)Efficiency: A Bargaining Experiment," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1743, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    8. Antoine Renucci, 2014. "Bargaining with Venture Capitalists: When Should Entrepreneurs Show their Financial Muscle?," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 18(6), pages 2197-2214.
    9. Kjell Hausken, 1997. "Game-theoretic and Behavioral Negotiation Theory," Group Decision and Negotiation, Springer, vol. 6(6), pages 511-528, December.
    10. Spulber, Daniel F., 2016. "Patent licensing and bargaining with innovative complements and substitutes," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(4), pages 693-713.
    11. Gauer, F. & Hellmann, T., 2017. "Strategic formation of homogeneous bargaining networks," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 51-74.
    12. Bayati, Mohsen & Borgs, Christian & Chayes, Jennifer & Kanoria, Yash & Montanari, Andrea, 2015. "Bargaining dynamics in exchange networks," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 417-454.
    13. Manel Baucells & Steven A. Lippman, 2004. "Bargaining with Search as an Outside Option: The Impact of the Buyer's Future Availability," Decision Analysis, INFORMS, vol. 1(4), pages 235-249, December.
    14. repec:dau:papers:123456789/3211 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Zvonko Kostanjcar & Stjepan Begusic & H. E. Stanley & Boris Podobnik, 2015. "Estimating Tipping Points in Feedback-Driven Financial Networks," Papers 1509.04952, arXiv.org.
    16. Talamàs, Eduard, 2019. "Price dispersion in stationary networked markets," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 247-264.
    17. Takeuchi, Ai & Veszteg, Róbert F. & Kamijo, Yoshio & Funaki, Yukihiko, 2022. "Bargaining over a jointly produced pie: The effect of the production function on bargaining outcomes," Games and Economic Behavior, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 169-198.
    18. Matthew Backus & Thomas Blakee & Brad Larsen & Steven Tadelis, 2020. "Sequential Bargaining in the Field: Evidence from Millions of Online Bargaining Interactions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 135(3), pages 1319-1361.
    19. Okada, Akira, 2010. "The Nash bargaining solution in general n-person cooperative games," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 145(6), pages 2356-2379, November.
    20. Chander, Parkash & Wooders, Myrna, 2020. "Subgame-perfect cooperation in an extensive game," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    21. Haruo Imai & Hannu Salonen, 2012. "A characterization of a limit solution for finite horizon bargaining problems," International Journal of Game Theory, Springer;Game Theory Society, vol. 41(3), pages 603-622, August.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Nash bargaining solution; strategic bargaining; outside options; status quo payoffs; labor markets; matching and bargaining;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C78 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Game Theory and Bargaining Theory - - - Bargaining Theory; Matching Theory
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J52 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Dispute Resolution: Strikes, Arbitration, and Mediation

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wes:weswpa:2020-005. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Manolis Kaparakis (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/edwesus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.