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Empirical Challenges in the Study of Employer Associations and their Representativeness

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  • Thomas Breda

    (PSE - Paris School of Economics - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ecole Normale Supérieure - UMNG - Université Marien-Ngouabi [Université de Brazzaville] = Marien Ngouabi University [University of Brazzaville], PJSE - Paris Jourdan Sciences Economiques - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - ENS-PSL - École normale supérieure - Paris - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - ENPC - École nationale des ponts et chaussées - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

Abstract

The paper examines the quality and appropriateness of the data available to measure firms' affiliation to Employer Associations (EAs). We find large discrepancies in affiliation rates obtained from the five different data sources available for France, leading us in particular to discard tax data. Focusing on survey data, we show that asking managers about affiliation to EAs in general or affiliation to a list of specific EAs can lead to large differences in affiliation rates, highlighting the importance of the framing of survey questions. We then provide methods to estimate an aggregate firm-level affiliation rate from surveys covering workplaces with eleven or more employees. Exploiting (i) conflicting survey responses regarding EA affiliation between distinct establishments in the same firm and (ii) survey responses for firms that report paying contributions to EAs in their financial statements, we finally estimate the shares of employers that wrongly declare being or not being affiliated to EAs, and provide a rate of affiliation corrected for such errors. The implications for econometric analysis of the high observed error rates are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Thomas Breda, 2024. "Empirical Challenges in the Study of Employer Associations and their Representativeness," Post-Print hal-04873085, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04873085
    DOI: 10.1111/bjir.12790
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://cnrs.hal.science/hal-04873085v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Martins, Pedro S., 2020. "What Do Employers' Associations Do?," GLO Discussion Paper Series 496, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    2. Peter Sheldon & Raoul Nacamulli & Francesco Paoletti & David E. Morgan, 2016. "Employer Association Responses to the Effects of Bargaining Decentralization in Australia and Italy: Seeking Explanations from Organizational Theory," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(1), pages 160-191, March.
    3. Schmitter, Philippe C. & Streeck, Wolfgang, 1999. "The organization of business interests: Studying the associative action of business in advanced industrial societies," MPIfG Discussion Paper 99/1, Max Planck Institute for the Study of Societies.
    4. Markus Helfen, 2012. "Institutional continuity in German collective bargaining: Do employer associations contribute to stability?," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 33(3), pages 485-503, August.
    5. Thomas Amossé & Gaëtan Flocco & Josette Lefèvre & Jean-Marie Pernot & Héloïse Petit & Frédéric Rey & Michèle Tallard & Carole Tuchszirer & Catherine Vincent, 2012. "Les organisations patronales. Continuités et mutations des formes de représentation du patronat," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) hal-00684075, HAL.
    6. Philippe Askenazy & Julien Grenet, 2009. "Les managers connaissent-ils leurs entreprises ? Les leçons de l'enquête REPONSE," Post-Print hal-00813567, HAL.
    7. Philippe Askenazy & Julien Grenet, 2009. "Les managers français connaissent-ils leurs entreprises ? Les leçons de l’enquête REPONSE," Économie et Statistique, Programme National Persée, vol. 421(1), pages 53-82.
    8. Leon Gooberman & Marco Hauptmeier & Edmund Heery, 2020. "A typology of employers’ organisations in the United Kingdom," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 41(1), pages 229-248, February.
    9. Bernd Brandl & Alex Lehr, 2019. "The strange non-death of employer and business associations: An analysis of their representativeness and activities in Western European countries," Economic and Industrial Democracy, Department of Economic History, Uppsala University, Sweden, vol. 40(4), pages 932-953, November.
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