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Borrowing from Employees: Wage Dynamics with Financial Constraints

Author

Listed:
  • Claudio Michelacci

    (CEMFI,)

  • Vincenzo Quadrini

    (University of Southern California,)

Abstract

We analyze how the financial conditions of the firm affect the compensation structure of workers, the size of the firm, and its dynamics. Firms that are financially constrained offer long-term wage contracts characterized by an increasing wage profile, that is, they pay lower wages today in exchange of higher future wages, effectively borrowing from their employees. Because constrained firms also operate at a suboptimal scale, which then increases gradually over time, we have that younger and smaller firms grow faster and pay lower wages. (JEL: G31, J31, E24) Copyright (c) 2005 The European Economic Association.

Suggested Citation

  • Claudio Michelacci & Vincenzo Quadrini, 2005. "Borrowing from Employees: Wage Dynamics with Financial Constraints," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 3(2-3), pages 360-369, 04/05.
    • Handle: RePEc:tpr:jeurec:v:3:y:2005:i:2-3:p:360-369
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    Cited by:

    1. Daniel Fackler & Michaela Fuchs & Lisa Hölscher & Claus Schnabel, 2019. "Do Start-ups Provide Employment Opportunities for Disadvantaged Workers?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 72(5), pages 1123-1148, October.
    2. Schnabel, Claus & Kohaut, Susanne & Brixy, Udo, 2008. "Employment Stability of Entrants in Newly Founded Firms: A Matching Approach Using Linked Employer-Employee Data from Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 3353, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Zabojnik, Jan, 2014. "Stock-based Compensation Plans and Employee Incentives," Queen's Economics Department Working Papers 274650, Queen's University - Department of Economics.
    4. Sasan Bakhtiari & Robert Breunig & Lisa Magnani & Jacquelyn Zhang, 2020. "Financial Constraints and Small and Medium Enterprises: A Review," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 96(315), pages 506-523, December.
    5. Luigi Guiso & Luigi Pistaferri & Fabiano Schivardi, 2013. "Credit within the Firm," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 80(1), pages 211-247.
    6. Neus Herranz & Stefan Krasa & Anne P. Villamil, 2015. "Entrepreneurs, Risk Aversion, and Dynamic Firms," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 123(5), pages 1133-1176.
    7. Suarez, Javier & Ceron, Jose A., 2006. "Hot and Cold Housing Markets: International Evidence," CEPR Discussion Papers 5411, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Udo Brixy & Martin Murmann, 2025. "Hiring opportunities for new firms and the business cycle," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 64(3), pages 1387-1413, March.
    9. Arabzadeh, Hamzeh & Balleer, Almut & Gehrke, Britta, 2020. "Uncovering the Mechanism(s): Financial Constraints and Wages," IZA Discussion Papers 13979, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    10. Javier Diaz-Gimenez & Josep Pijoan-Mas, 2006. "Flat Tax Reforms in the U.S.: a Boon for the Income Poor," Computing in Economics and Finance 2006 400, Society for Computational Economics.
    11. Claus Schnabel & Susanne Kohaut & Udo Brixy, 2011. "Employment stability in newly founded firms: a matching approach using linked employer–employee data from Germany," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 36(1), pages 85-100, January.
    12. Bo Gao & Jing Ma & Zheng Wang, 2021. "The employment and wage effects of export VAT rebates: evidence from China," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 157(2), pages 347-373, May.
    13. Khalid ElFayoumi, 2020. "Firm Financing and the Relative Demand for Labor and Capital," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1908, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    14. Jan Babecky & Kamil Galuscak & Diana Zigraiova, 2017. "Wage Dynamics and Financial Performance: Evidence from Czech Firms," Working Papers 2017/14, Czech National Bank, Research and Statistics Department.
    15. Murmann, Martin, 2017. "The Growth and Human Capital Structure of New Firms over the Business Cycle," VfS Annual Conference 2017 (Vienna): Alternative Structures for Money and Banking 168290, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    16. Aleix Calveras & Juan José Ganuza & Gerard Llobet, 2005. "Regulation and opportunism: How much activism do we need?," Economics Working Papers 935, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    17. Juan-José Ganuza & Gerard Llobet & Beatriz Domínguez, 2009. "R& D in the Pharmaceutical Industry: A World of Small Innovations," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 55(4), pages 539-551, April.
    18. Gu, Tao, 2019. "Wage determination and fixed capital investment in an imperfect financial market: the case of China," MPRA Paper 95986, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Jürgen Antony & Torben Klarl & Alfred Maußner, 2012. "Firm heterogeneity, credit constraints, and endogenous growth," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 105(3), pages 199-224, April.
    20. Boeri, Tito & Jimeno, Juan F., 2016. "Learning from the Great Divergence in unemployment in Europe during the crisis," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 32-46.
    21. ElFayoumi, Khalid, 2024. "Firm financing and the relative demand for labor and capital," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 168(C).
    22. Boeri, Tito & Garibaldi, Pietro & Moen, Espen R., 2015. "Financial Frictions, Financial Shocks and Unemployment Volatility," CEPR Discussion Papers 10648, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G31 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Capital Budgeting; Fixed Investment and Inventory Studies
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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