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Tarifpolitik und Entgeltflexibilität in Ostdeutschland

Author

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  • Bonin, Holger

    (IHS - Institute for Advanced Studies, Vienna)

Abstract

Der Beitrag beschreibt die Lohnpolitik in Ostdeutschland seit der Wiedervereinigung und präsentiert empirische Evidenz für die Hypothese, dass überhöhte Tarifabschlüsse das aus dem Westen übernommene Flächentarifvertragssystem geschwächt haben. Hierfür sprechen der abnehmende Organisationsgrad von Arbeitgebern und Gewerkschaften sowie Drift zwischen Tariflöhnen und effektiven Löhnen. Schätzungen eines strukturellen Modells individueller Lohnzuwächse bei Nominallohn- und Tariflohnrigiditäten auf Basis der IAB-Beschäftigtenstichprobe bestätigen, dass die Lohnflexibilität in Ostdeutschland gewachsen ist. Für Lohnverhandlungen auf Betriebsebene charakteristische Nominallohnrigiditäten sind häufiger, Tariflohnrigiditäten seltener als in Westdeutschland. Dies dürfte zur Stabilisierung der Beschäftigung beigetragen haben. The paper explores wage setting practice in East Germany since unification. It gathers evidence for the claim that economically non-viable collective agreements have fostered decentralized wage setting. First, we document declining organization rates of both employers and employees, allowing drift between collective and actual wages. Second, we examine macroeconomic wage flexibility by estimating a switching regime model, in which the observed distribution of individual wage changes is generated by simultaneous processes of union, nominal or no wage rigidity. The results indicate that wages become more flexible during transition. Furthermore nominal wage rigidity, typical for decentralized bargaining, is much more common in East than in West Germany, while the opposite holds regarding union wage rigidity.

Suggested Citation

  • Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik und Entgeltflexibilität in Ostdeutschland," IZA Discussion Papers 1871, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
  • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp1871
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    wage rigidity; unions; East Germany;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • P52 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Comparative Economic Systems - - - Comparative Studies of Particular Economies

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