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Colluding against Workers

delete2025-01-13
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PRE
AI
V
Vincent Delabastita
M
Michaël Rubens
DOI:10.1086/734780delete
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Abstract

Abstract

En 中文
Empirical models of labor market competition usually assume that employers set wages noncooperatively, despite frequent allegations of collusive employer behavior. We propose an identification approach for labor market collusion that relies on production and cost data, and we use it to study how employer collusion affected wage markdowns of 227 Belgian coal firms between 1845 and 1913. We are able to detect collusion through the 1897 coal cartel without ex ante knowledge of its timing and find that it explains the fast growth in markdowns after 1900. We find that the cartel decreased both wages and employment by 6% to 17%.
Keywords:
MONOPSONY
COLLUSION
MARKUPS

Journal

Journal of Political Economy cover
Journal of Political Economy
IF:
6.3
Papers:
2.6K
Citations:
3.2W

Organization

U
Univ Calif Los Angeles
Scholars:
2.8K
Papers: 1.6K
Citations: 639