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Unionization and Employment Behavior

Author

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  • David G. Blanchflower
  • Neil Millward
  • Andrew J. Oswald

Abstract

Although there exists a large literature on the effects of trade unions upon wages, there is no published work that uses microeconomic data to examine the employment consequences of unionization. The paper addresses this issue with a new British data set and shows that, even after the addition of a substantial set of control variables, there is a strong association between poor employment performance and the presence of trade unions. The union employment growth differential is estimated at approximately -3% per annum.

Suggested Citation

  • David G. Blanchflower & Neil Millward & Andrew J. Oswald, 1989. "Unionization and Employment Behavior," NBER Working Papers 3180, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:3180
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    Cited by:

    1. P. B. Beaumont & R. I. D. Harris, 1991. "Trade Union Recognition and Employment Contraction. Britain, 1980–1984," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 29(1), pages 49-58, March.
    2. Sushil Wadhwani, 1990. "The Effect of Unions on Productivity Growth, Investment and Employment: A Report on some Recent Work," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 28(3), pages 371-385, November.
    3. Francesco Bogliacino & Mariacristina Piva & Marco Vivarelli, 2011. "The impact of R&D on employment in Europe: A firm-level analysis," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali dises1176, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    4. Francesco Bogliacino & Mariacristina Piva & Marco Vivarelli, 2011. "The impact of R&D on employment in Europe: A firm-level analysis," DISCE - Quaderni del Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali dises1176, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Dipartimenti e Istituti di Scienze Economiche (DISCE).
    5. William C. Gruben & Keith R. Phillips, 1990. "Unionization and Unemployment Rates: A Re-Examination Of Olson'S Labor Cartelization Hypothesis," The Review of Regional Studies, Southern Regional Science Association, vol. 20(1), pages 1-9, Winter.
    6. Mark Bils, 1990. "Wage and Employment Patterns in Long-Term Contracts When Labor Is Quasi-Fixed," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1990, Volume 5, pages 187-236, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Francesco Bogliacino & Mariacristina Piva & Marco Vivarelli, 2011. "Job Creation Effects of R&D Expenditures: Are High-tech Sectors the Key?," JRC Working Papers on Corporate R&D and Innovation 2011-10, Joint Research Centre.
    8. Bogliacino, Francesco & Piva, Mariacristina & Vivarelli, Marco, 2011. "R&D and Employment: Some Evidence from European Microdata," IZA Discussion Papers 5908, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

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