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Employment Protection Versus Flexicurity: On Technology Adoption in Unionised Firms

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  • Kjell Erik Lommerud
  • Odd Rune Straume

Abstract

We analyse how different labour market institutions - employment protection versus flexicurity - affect technology adoption in unionised firms. We consider both trade unions’ incentives to oppose or endorse labour-saving technology, and firms’ incentives to invest in such technology. We find that increased flexicurity – interpreted as less employment protection and a higher reservation wage for workers - unambiguously increase firms’ incentives for technology adoption, even when taking into account the response in unionised wage setting to such new technology. If we assume that unions have some direct influence over the technology to be adopted, a higher reservation wage also makes unions more willing to accept technological change. Less employment protection has the opposite effect, since this increases the downside (job losses) of labour-saving technology.
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Suggested Citation

  • Kjell Erik Lommerud & Odd Rune Straume, 2012. "Employment Protection Versus Flexicurity: On Technology Adoption in Unionised Firms," Scandinavian Journal of Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 114(1), pages 177-199, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:scandj:v:114:y:2012:i:1:p:177-199
    DOI: j.1467-9442.2011.01663.x
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    Cited by:

    1. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2021. "Pollution, green union, and network industry," Estudios de Economia, University of Chile, Department of Economics, vol. 48(2 Year 20), pages 139-173, December.
    2. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Meland, Frode & Straume, Odd Rune, 2012. "North–South technology transfer in unionised multinationals," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 99(2), pages 385-395.
    3. Jan Stentoft & Ole Stegman Mikkelsen & Jesper Kronborg Jensen, 2016. "Flexicurity and relocation of manufacturing," Operations Management Research, Springer, vol. 9(3), pages 133-144, December.
    4. Meccheri Nicola, 2023. "On the Social Desirability of Centralized Wage Setting when Firms are Run by Biased Managers," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 23(3), pages 701-725, July.
    5. Luciano Fanti & Nicola Meccheri, 2017. "Unionization Regimes, Capacity Choice by Firms and Welfare Outcomes," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 85(6), pages 661-681, December.
    6. Carsten Eckel & Hartmut Egger, 2017. "The Dilemma of Labor Unions: Local Objectives vs Global Bargaining," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(3), pages 534-566, August.
    7. Xiaoxue Du & Hernan Tejeda & Zhengliang Yang & Liang Lu, 2022. "A General-Equilibrium Model of Labor-Saving Technology Adoption: Theory and Evidences from Robotic Milking Systems in Idaho," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-17, June.
    8. Benjamin Heslop & Antony Drew & Elizabeth Stojanovski & Kylie Bailey & Jonathan Paul, 2018. "Collaboration Vouchers: A Policy to Increase Population Wellbeing," Societies, MDPI, vol. 8(2), pages 1-19, June.
    9. Lommerud, Kjell Erik & Meland, Frode & Straume, Odd Rune, 2021. "International outsourcing and trade union (de-)centralisation," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 76-91.
    10. Shibata Ippei, 2020. "Is Labor Market Mismatch a Big Deal in Japan?," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 20(2), pages 1-28, June.
    11. Torben M. Andersen, 2016. "Incentives versus insurance in the design of tax-financed unemployment insurance," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 12(2), pages 127-150, June.
    12. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2018. "Union–Firm Bargaining Agenda Revisited: When Unions Have Distinct Preferences," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 70(1), pages 35-50, January.
    13. Andersen, Torben M, 2010. "Incentive and Insurance Effects of Tax Financed Unemployment Insurance," CEPR Discussion Papers 8025, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Meccheri, Nicola, 2024. "Unionised dockworkers and port ownership structure in an international oligopoly," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 40(C).
    15. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2021. "Corporate social responsibility in unionised network industries," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 68(2), pages 235-262, June.
    16. Gebhard Flaig & Horst Rottmann, 2013. "Labour market institutions and unemployment: an international panel data analysis," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(4), pages 635-654, November.
    17. Sandrini, Luca, 2021. "Incentives for labour-augmenting innovations in vertical markets: The role of wage rate," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    18. Luciano Fanti & Domenico Buccella, 2020. "Pareto-Superiority of Corporate Social Responsibility in Unionised Industries," Arthaniti: Journal of Economic Theory and Practice, , vol. 19(2), pages 131-150, December.
    19. Minas Vlassis & Polyxeni Gioti, 2020. "A two-period unionized mixed oligopoly model: public–private wage differentials and “Eurosclerosis” reconsidered," Economia e Politica Industriale: Journal of Industrial and Business Economics, Springer;Associazione Amici di Economia e Politica Industriale, vol. 47(2), pages 283-309, June.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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