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Determinants of Trade Union Membership in Great Britain During 1991-2003

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  • Georgios Marios Chrysanthou

Abstract

The determinants of union membership in the UK are analysed using the BHPS(1991-2003). The paper employs three alternative methodologies to control for the problem of initial conditions. Trade union membership is found to be persistent even after controlling for the unobserved effect. There is evidence of a considerable correlation between the unobserved individual heterogeneity and the initial condition. Ignoring this overstates the degree of state dependence of union membership greatly. The extent of state dependence in union membership status is notably higher in the (1991-1996) period estimates and appears to be more pronounced in the case of male employees for the entire period under consideration. Concerning the observed heterogeneity the estimates suggest that an individual's propensity to unionise is determined by a mixture of industrial and personal characteristics that have a differential impact on male and female propensities.

Suggested Citation

  • Georgios Marios Chrysanthou, 2007. "Determinants of Trade Union Membership in Great Britain During 1991-2003," Discussion Papers 07/01, Department of Economics, University of York.
    • Handle: RePEc:yor:yorken:07/01
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Union membership; initial conditions; unobserved individual heterogeneity; state dependence; dynamic random effects probit models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects

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