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From dual to unified employment protection: Transition and steady state

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  • Juan J. Dolado
  • Etienne Lalé
  • Nawid Siassi

Abstract

Three features of real‐life reforms of dual employment protection legislation (EPL) systems are particularly hard to study through the lens of standard labor‐market search models: (i) the excess job turnover implied by dual EPL, (ii) the nonretroactive nature of EPL reforms, and (iii) the transition dynamics from dual to a unified EPL system. In this paper, we develop a computationally tractable model addressing these issues. Our main finding is that the welfare gains of reforming a dual EPL system are sizeable and achieved mostly through a decrease in turnover at short job tenures. This conclusion continues to hold in more general settings featuring wage rigidities, heterogeneity in productivity upon matching, and human capital accumulation. We also find substantial cross‐sectional heterogeneity in welfare effects along the transition to a unified EPL scheme. Given that the model is calibrated to data from Spain, often considered as the epitome of a labor market with dual EPL, our results should provide guidance for a wide range of reforms of dual EPL systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Juan J. Dolado & Etienne Lalé & Nawid Siassi, 2021. "From dual to unified employment protection: Transition and steady state," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(2), pages 547-585, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:quante:v:12:y:2021:i:2:p:547-585
    DOI: 10.3982/QE1053
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    Cited by:

    1. Pierre Cahuc & Olivier Charlot & Franck Malherbet & Helène Benghalem & Emeline Limon, 2020. "Taxation of Temporary Jobs: Good Intentions with Bad Outcomes?," The Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 130(626), pages 422-445.
    2. Cahuc, Pierre & Malherbet, Franck & Prat, Julien, 2019. "The Detrimental Effect of Job Protection on Employment: Evidence from France," IZA Discussion Papers 12384, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. Juan J. Dolado & Florentino Felgueroso & Juan F. Jimeno, 2021. "Past, present and future of the Spanish labour market: when the pandemic meets the megatrends," Applied Economic Analysis, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 29(85), pages 21-41, January.
    4. Juan J. Dolado & Etienne Lalé & Nawid Siassi, 2021. "From dual to unified employment protection: Transition and steady state," Quantitative Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(2), pages 547-585, May.
    5. Etienne Lale, 2019. "Labor-market Frictions, Incomplete Insurance and Severance Payments," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 31, pages 411-435, January.
    6. Jonathan Créchet, 2023. "Risk Sharing in a Dual Labor Market," Working Papers 2307E, University of Ottawa, Department of Economics.
    7. Sahin Avcioglu & Bilgehan Karabay, 2020. "Labor market regulation under self‐enforcing contracts," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 22(6), pages 1965-2018, December.
    8. Bentolila, Samuel & Dolado, Juan J. & Jimeno, Juan F., 2019. "Dual Labour Markets Revisited," IZA Discussion Papers 12126, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Boeri, Tito & Garibaldi, Pietro, 2019. "A tale of comprehensive labor market reforms: Evidence from the Italian jobs act," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 33-48.
    10. Johanna Schauer, 2018. "Labor Market Duality in Korea," IMF Working Papers 2018/126, International Monetary Fund.
    11. Dolado, Juan J & Jimeno, Juan Francisco, 2020. "The Spanish Labour Market at the Crossroads: Covid†19 meets the Megatrends," CEPR Discussion Papers 15452, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Cristina Lafuente, 2018. "Search capital and Unemployment Duration," 2018 Meeting Papers 427, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    13. Rasmus Wiese & Joåo Tovar Jalles & Jakob de Haan & João Tovar Jalles, 2024. "Labour Market Counter-Reforms in OECD Countries: Conditional Impact on Output and Employment Growth," CESifo Working Paper Series 11199, CESifo.
    14. Cristina Lafuente, 2017. "Search capital and Unemployment Duration (Preliminary)," Edinburgh School of Economics Discussion Paper Series 283, Edinburgh School of Economics, University of Edinburgh.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • H29 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Other
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • J65 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment Insurance; Severance Pay; Plant Closings

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