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Rent sharing and inclusive growth

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  • Bell, Brian
  • Bukowski, Pawel
  • Machin, Stephen

Abstract

The long-run evolution of rent sharing is empirically studied. Based upon a comprehensive and harmonized panel of the top 300 publicly quoted British companies over thirty five years, the paper reports evidence of a significant fall over time in the extent to which firms share rents with workers. It confirms that companies do share their profits with employees, but at much smaller scale today than they did during the 1980s and 1990s. This is a robust finding, corroborated with industry-level analysis for the US and EU. The decline in rent sharing is coincident with the rise of product market power that has occurred as worker bargaining power has dropped. Although firms with more market power previously shared more of their profits, they experienced a stronger fall in rent sharing after 2000.

Suggested Citation

  • Bell, Brian & Bukowski, Pawel & Machin, Stephen, 2019. "Rent sharing and inclusive growth," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101868, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:101868
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    Cited by:

    1. Mertens, Matthias, 2023. "Labor Market Power and Between-Firm Wage (In)Equality," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    2. Magda, Iga & Gromadzki, Jan & Moriconi, Simone, 2021. "Firms and wage inequality in Central and Eastern Europe," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 499-552.
    3. Matteo G. Richiardi & Luis Valenzuela, 2024. "Firm heterogeneity and the aggregate labour share," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 38(1), pages 66-101, March.
    4. Pawel Bukowski & Filip Novokmet, 2019. "Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892-2015," CEP Discussion Papers dp1628, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    5. Bukowski, Pawel & Novokmet, Filip, 2021. "Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892–2015," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 110221, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    6. Langella, Monica & Manning, Alan Patrick, 2021. "The measure of monopsony," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 113925, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    7. Mary O’Mahony & Michela Vecchi & Francesco Venturini, 2021. "Capital Heterogeneity and the Decline of the Labour Share," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 88(350), pages 271-296, April.
    8. Allan, Corey & Maré, David C., 2022. "Who Benefits from Firm Success? Heterogenous Rent Sharing in New Zealand," IZA Discussion Papers 15264, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    9. Bukowski, Pawel & Novokmet, Filip, 2019. "Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892-2015," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 102834, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    10. Paweł Bukowski & Filip Novokmet, 2021. "Between communism and capitalism: long-term inequality in Poland, 1892–2015," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 26(2), pages 187-239, June.
    11. Bagstad, Kenneth J. & Ingram, Jane Carter & Shapiro, Carl D. & La Notte, Alessandra & Maes, Joachim & Vallecillo, Sara & Casey, C. Frank & Glynn, Pierre D. & Heris, Mehdi P. & Johnson, Justin A. & Lau, 2021. "Lessons learned from development of natural capital accounts in the United States and European Union," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    12. Fukao, Kyoji & Perugini, Cristiano & Pompei, Fabrizio, 2020. "Labour Market Institutions, Technology and Rent Sharing," IZA Discussion Papers 13155, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Allan, Corey & Maré, David C., 2021. "Do Workers Share in Firm Success? Pass-through Estimates for New Zealand," IZA Discussion Papers 14764, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Fukao, Kyoji & Perugini, Cristiano & Pompei, Fabrizio, 2022. "Labour market regimes, technology and rent-sharing in Japan," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    15. Kyoji Fukao & Cristiano Perugini & Fabrizio Pompei, 2023. "Non‐standard Employment and Rent‐sharing," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 90(357), pages 178-211, January.
    16. Francis Green & Alan Felstead & Duncan Gallie & Golo Henseke, 2022. "Working Still Harder," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 75(2), pages 458-487, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    rent sharing; inclusive growth;

    JEL classification:

    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General

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