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Labor's Share, the Firm's Market Power and TFP

Author

Listed:
  • R. Dixon

    (Department of Economics, the University of Melbourne)

  • G.C. Lim

    (Melbourne Institute: Applied Economic & Social Research and Department of Economics, The University of Melbourne)

Abstract

In this paper we investigate the relationship between labor’s share, the market power of firms and the elasticity of output with respect to labor input using an approach based on an unobserved components model. The approach yields time-varying estimates of the market power and the elasticity. Evidence on the evolution of the market power of firms contributes to a deeper understanding of movements in labor’s share and of the firm’s contribution to the labor wedge. The generated values of the elasticity also yield revised estimates of US TFP growth which is informative about the (non-trivial) bias inherent in traditional estimates of TFP growth which use the wage share as a proxy for the elasticity.

Suggested Citation

  • R. Dixon & G.C. Lim, 2017. "Labor's Share, the Firm's Market Power and TFP," Melbourne Institute Working Paper Series wp2017n22, Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, The University of Melbourne.
    • Handle: RePEc:iae:iaewps:wp2017n22
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Labor’s share; market power; TFP growth; labor wedge; state-space modelling;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O47 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Empirical Studies of Economic Growth; Aggregate Productivity; Cross-Country Output Convergence
    • C32 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes; State Space Models
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution

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