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Lohnzurückhaltung und Lohnmilitanz: Belgien, Deutschland und die Niederlande, 1950–2010

Bengtsson, Erik LU (2015) In WSI-Mitteilungen 67(4). p.272-279
Abstract
This contribution questions the influential interpretation that strong unions and centralized wage bargaining facilitate wage restraint and that during the postwar period wage restraint was an important cause of strong economic growth performance. This view is contrasted with a power-oriented perspective that sees strong unions as conducive to redistribution from capital to labour, rather than wage restraint. The paper uses data on wages and productivity from 1950 to 2010 for Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and shows that there has been more wage restraint after 1980 than before, and not more with more bargaining centralization. The results support the power-oriented understanding of wage bargaining institutions and suggest that the... (More)
This contribution questions the influential interpretation that strong unions and centralized wage bargaining facilitate wage restraint and that during the postwar period wage restraint was an important cause of strong economic growth performance. This view is contrasted with a power-oriented perspective that sees strong unions as conducive to redistribution from capital to labour, rather than wage restraint. The paper uses data on wages and productivity from 1950 to 2010 for Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and shows that there has been more wage restraint after 1980 than before, and not more with more bargaining centralization. The results support the power-oriented understanding of wage bargaining institutions and suggest that the causes of wage restraint, its effects on investments and inequality should be reconsidered. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Entgelt/Tarifpolitik, Lohnpolitik, Industrielle Beziehungen, Einkommensverteilung
in
WSI-Mitteilungen
volume
67
issue
4
pages
272 - 279
publisher
Das Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Institut (WSI)
ISSN
0342-300X
language
German
LU publication?
yes
id
e83ef336-a940-4890-b4d2-75ba3691aeb3 (old id 8619142)
alternative location
http://www.boeckler.de/wsi-mitteilungen_54287_54299.htm
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 14:58:46
date last changed
2018-11-21 20:32:06
@article{e83ef336-a940-4890-b4d2-75ba3691aeb3,
  abstract     = {{This contribution questions the influential interpretation that strong unions and centralized wage bargaining facilitate wage restraint and that during the postwar period wage restraint was an important cause of strong economic growth performance. This view is contrasted with a power-oriented perspective that sees strong unions as conducive to redistribution from capital to labour, rather than wage restraint. The paper uses data on wages and productivity from 1950 to 2010 for Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, and shows that there has been more wage restraint after 1980 than before, and not more with more bargaining centralization. The results support the power-oriented understanding of wage bargaining institutions and suggest that the causes of wage restraint, its effects on investments and inequality should be reconsidered.}},
  author       = {{Bengtsson, Erik}},
  issn         = {{0342-300X}},
  keywords     = {{Entgelt/Tarifpolitik; Lohnpolitik; Industrielle Beziehungen; Einkommensverteilung}},
  language     = {{ger}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{272--279}},
  publisher    = {{Das Wirtschafts- und Sozialwissenschaftliche Institut (WSI)}},
  series       = {{WSI-Mitteilungen}},
  title        = {{Lohnzurückhaltung und Lohnmilitanz: Belgien, Deutschland und die Niederlande, 1950–2010}},
  url          = {{http://www.boeckler.de/wsi-mitteilungen_54287_54299.htm}},
  volume       = {{67}},
  year         = {{2015}},
}