IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/zbw/mpifgd/183.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Does pattern bargaining explain wage restraint in the German public sector?

Author

Listed:
  • Di Carlo, Donato

Abstract

German public sector wage restraint has been explained through the presence of a specific type of inter-sectoral wage coordination in the industrial relations system - i.e., export sector-led pattern bargaining. This paper has a twofold ambition. First, as a literature-assessing exercise, I review the literature in industrial relations and comparative political economy (CPE) and find that (1) the origins and mechanics of inter-sectoral wage coordination through pattern bargaining have never been laid out clearly; (2) the mechanisms of the pattern bargaining thesis have never been tested empirically; and (3) the CPE literature reveals a limiting export-sector bias. Second, as a theory-testing exercise, I perform hoop tests to verify whether the pattern bargaining hypothesis can really account for wage restraint in the German public sector. I find that Germany cannot be considered a case of export sector-driven pattern bargaining. These findings challenge core tenets of a longstanding scholarship in both CPE and industrial relations. Most importantly, they open a new research agenda for the study of public sector wage-setting that should shift its focus to public sector employment relations, public finance, public administrations, and the politics of fiscal policy.

Suggested Citation

  • Di Carlo, Donato, 2018. "Does pattern bargaining explain wage restraint in the German public sector?," MPIfG Discussion Paper 18/3, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:mpifgd:183
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.econstor.eu/bitstream/10419/178228/1/1019372583.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Soskice, David, 1990. "Wage Determination: The Changing Role of Institutions in Advanced Industrialized Countries," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 6(4), pages 36-61, Winter.
    2. George Seltzer, 1951. "Pattern Bargaining and the United Steelworkers," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 59, pages 319-319.
    3. Keller, Berndt & Seifert, Hartmut, 2015. "Atypical forms of employment in the public sector: Are there any?," WSI Working Papers 199, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    4. Christian Lyhne Ibsen, 2016. "The Role of Mediation Institutions in Sweden and Denmark after Centralized Bargaining," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(2), pages 285-310, June.
    5. Berndt Keller & Hartmut Seifert, 2015. "Atypical Forms of Employment in the Public Sector - Are There Any?," SOEPpapers on Multidisciplinary Panel Data Research 774, DIW Berlin, The German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP).
    6. Soskice, David & Iversen, Torben, 1998. "Multiple Wage-Bargaining Systems in the Single European Currency Area," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 14(3), pages 110-124, Autumn.
    7. Berndt Keller, 2005. "Union Formation through Merger: The Case of Ver.di in Germany," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 43(2), pages 209-232, June.
    8. Dobson, Paul W., 1994. "Multifirm unions and the incentive to adopt pattern bargaining in oligopoly," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(1), pages 87-100, January.
    9. Bispinck, Reinhard & Schulten, Thorsten, 2014. "Wages, collective bargaining and economic development in Germany: Towards a more expansive and solidaristic development?," WSI Working Papers 191, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    10. Manow, Philip, 2000. "Wage coordination and the welfare state: Germany and Japan compared," MPIfG Working Paper 00/7, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    11. Harold M. Levinson, 1960. "Pattern Bargaining: A Case Study of the Automobile Workers," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 74(2), pages 296-317.
    12. Carlin, Wendy & Soskice, David, 2014. "Macroeconomics: Institutions, Instability, and the Financial System," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199655793, Decembrie.
    13. Franz Traxler & Bernd Brandl & Vera Glassner, 2008. "Pattern Bargaining: An Investigation into its Agency, Context and Evidence," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 46(1), pages 33-58, March.
    14. Hall, Peter A. & Franzese, Robert J., 1998. "Mixed Signals: Central Bank Independence, Coordinated Wage Bargaining, and European Monetary Union," International Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 52(3), pages 505-535, July.
    15. Paqué, Karl-Heinz & Soltwedel, Rüdiger & Schmieding, Holger & Hiemenz, Ulrich & Langhammer, Rolf J. & Klodt, Henning & Schrader, Jörg-Volker & Scheide, Joachim & Horn, Ernst-Jürgen & Paqué, Karl-Heinz, 1993. "Challenges ahead: Long-term perspectives of the German economy," Kiel Discussion Papers 202/203, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Bengtsson, Erik, 2019. "The Origins of the Swedish Wage Bargaining Model," Lund Papers in Economic History 195, Lund University, Department of Economic History.
    2. Braun, Benjamin & Deeg, Richard, 2019. "Strong firms, weak banks: The financial consequences of Germany's export-led growth model," MPIfG Discussion Paper 19/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    3. Scharpf, Fritz W., 2018. "There is an alternative: A two-tier European currency community," MPIfG Discussion Paper 18/7, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.

    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. Donato Di Carlo, 2020. "Understanding wage restraint in the German public sector: does the pattern bargaining hypothesis really hold water?," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 185-208, May.
    2. Nicola Acocella & Giovanni Bartolomeo, 2004. "Is a Conservative Central Banker a (Perfect) Substitute for Wage Coordination?," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 31(2), pages 281-294, June.
    3. Marzinotto Benedicta, 2008. "Why so much wage restraint in EMU? The role of country size - Integrating trade theory with monetary policy regime accounts," wp.comunite 0035, Department of Communication, University of Teramo.
    4. Laust Høgedahl & Christian Lyhne Ibsen & Flemming Ibsen, 2024. "Public sector wage bargaining and the balanced growth model: Denmark and Sweden compared," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 55-75, March.
    5. Chouliarakis, George & Correa-López, Mónica, 2011. "Monetary institutions, imperfect competition and employment outcomes," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 131-148, August.
    6. Hein, Eckhard, 2001. "Institutions and macroeconomic performance: Central bank independence, labour market institutions and the perspectives for inflation and employment in the European Monetary Union," WSI Working Papers 95, The Institute of Economic and Social Research (WSI), Hans Böckler Foundation.
    7. Henrik Enderlein, 2006. "Adjusting to EMU," European Union Politics, , vol. 7(1), pages 113-140, March.
    8. Peter Mooslechner & Martin Schürz, 2001. "The Interaction of Wage Bargaining Institutions and an Independent Central Bank – A Methodological Reflection on Current Theories," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 487-506, December.
    9. Robert Franzese, 2001. "Strategic Interactions of Monetary Policymakers and Wage/Price Bargainers: A Review with Implications for the European Common-Currency Area," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 457-486, December.
    10. Höpner, Martin, 2013. "Die Verschiedenheit der europäischen Lohnregime und ihr Beitrag zur Eurokrise: Warum der Euro nicht zum heterogenen Unterbau der Eurozone passt," MPIfG Discussion Paper 13/5, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    11. Philip Du Caju & Erwan Gautier & Daphne Momferatu & Melanie Ward-Warmedinger, 2009. "Institutional Features of Wage Bargaining in 23 European Countries, the US and Japan," Ekonomia, Cyprus Economic Society and University of Cyprus, vol. 12(2), pages 57-108, Winter.
    12. Kenworthy, Lane, 2000. "Quantitative indicators of corporatism: A survey and assessment," MPIfG Discussion Paper 00/4, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    13. repec:ces:ifodic:v:1:y:2003:i:2:p:14567948 is not listed on IDEAS
    14. Loïc Cadiou & Stéphanie Guichard & Mathilde Maurel, 2000. "Disparités institutionnelles et flexibilité des marchés du travail dans l'UE," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 332(1), pages 49-63.
    15. Barcena-Ruiz, Juan Carlos, 2003. "Politically preferred wage bargaining structures," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 341-353, June.
    16. Bernd Brandl & Franz Traxler, 2008. "Das System der Lohnführerschaft in Österreich: Eine Analyse der empirischen Relevanz," Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft - WuG, Kammer für Arbeiter und Angestellte für Wien, Abteilung Wirtschaftswissenschaft und Statistik, vol. 34(1), pages 9-31.
    17. Aidt, T.S. & Tzannatos, Z., 2005. "The Cost and Benefits of Collective Bargaining," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 0541, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    18. Sánchez, Marcelo, 2008. "Monetary stabilisation in a currency union of small open economies," Working Paper Series 927, European Central Bank.
    19. Horst Feldmann, 2010. "Venture Capital Availability and Labor Market Performance in Industrial Countries: Evidence Based on Survey Data," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 63(1), pages 23-54, February.
    20. Sebastian Weber, 2006. "Labor Market Structures, Trade and their Effect on Unemployment: A Theoretical Analysis and Empirical Investigation," IHEID Working Papers 22-2006, Economics Section, The Graduate Institute of International Studies.
    21. Lars Calmfors, 2001. "Wages and Wage-Bargaining Institutions in the EMU – A Survey of the Issues," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 28(4), pages 325-351, December.

    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:zbw:mpifgd:183. 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: ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/mpigfde.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.