scholarly journals Labor Market Institutions in the Gilded Age of American Economic History

2018 ◽  
pp. 328-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suresh Naidu ◽  
Noam Yuchtman
Keyword(s):  
Nineteenth Century ◽  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Wage Premia

This chapter argues that although nineteenth-century labor markets were unencumbered by regulatory legislation, there existed frictions and rents in the labor market; moreover, labor market institutions other than legislation played an active role in determining labor market outcomes. The chapter provides evidence of frictions and firm-specific rents in nineteenth-century urban American labor markets: when firms experienced positive output price shocks, their employees earned wage premia relative to other employees with similar skills in the same labor market. The existence of rents in the labor contract suggests a role for bargaining and conflict between employees and employers. Workers in the late nineteenth century went on strike to increase wages. This chapter presents data on the frequency of strikes in the nineteenth century and suggestive evidence of an association between strikes and wages; finally, it documents the rise of judicial labor injunctions aimed at suppressing strikes.

Introduction

2018 ◽  
pp. xiii-26
Author(s):  
Louis P. Cain ◽  
Price V. Fishback ◽  
Paul W. Rhode
Keyword(s):  
Labor Markets ◽  
Economic History ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Private Property ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Internal Labor Markets ◽  
Private Property Rights ◽  
The Great Depression

This introduction offers an overview of the research discussed in the 37 chapters in the Oxford Handbook of American Economic History. It discusses the path of economic growth and development and the methods that economic historians have used to measure and analyze them. Over the last 300 years population growth has slowed, and the population has lived longer and healthier lives. The economy has shifted from predominantly agricultural through a major industrialization period into a service-based modern economy largely located in urban areas. Per capita incomes have grown largely through increased productivity from improved technologies, better education, improved organizations of processes, and governments that established private property rights, rule of law, and protections of individual freedom. Capital aspects of the economy have varied more than commonly known, and financial institutions have gone through several innovations as their regulatory regimes have waxed and waned. A diverse population of men, women, ethnic groups, races, and ages played major roles in labor markets. Labor market institutions changed with the elimination of slavery, the development of “at will” contracts, internal labor markets, and changing treatment of collective bargaining. In the federal system of governments, states were initially the dominant actors, followed by local governments in the late nineteenth century, and then an expansion of all governments and the national government in the last hundred years, partially in response to the major crises of the World Wars and the Great Depression.

Unemployment, employment contracts, and compensating wage differentials: michigan in the 1890s

1991 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 605-632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Hatton ◽  
Jeffrey G. Williamson
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Personal Characteristics ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Compensating Wage Differentials ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Employment Contracts ◽  
Unskilled Workers ◽  
Late Nineteenth

Surveys taken by the Michigan Bureau of Labor and Industrial Statistics in the 1890s reveal that unemployment was pervasive among unskilled workers. The incidence of unemployment was not associated with personal characteristics, but rather with the type of employment contract and job: those with high risk of layoff commanded a wage premium. Seasonality is an important part of this late nineteenth-century story, and the subsequent demise of seasonal activities may have had an important impact on the evolution of labor market institutions.

scholarly journals Cross-Cutting Themes in Employment Experiences During the Crisis

Policy Papers ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (67) ◽  
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Labor Movements ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Policy Responses ◽  
Dual Labor Markets ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Permanent Shocks ◽  
Human Cost

The human cost of the recent global crisis is reflected in its impact on the labor market. Explaining why economies with similar downturns had very different employment trends can help design policies to reduce such costs and improve labor markets. This paper analyzes the recent employment experiences of six economies: Germany, Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, and Sweden. These economies represent a wide range of labor market institutions, policy responses, and outcomes to the crisis. The divergence of labor market outcomes and of the effectiveness of policies during the crisis can be explained by the interaction between the nature of the shocks and differences in the structure and institutions of each country’s economy. The worst job losses compared to the drop in output followed permanent shocks, particularly in dual labor markets and in the presence of wage rigidities. Policies to avoid job cuts were much more effective when they were well-targeted and responded to temporary shocks. In contrast, policies to facilitate labor movements were more appropriate following permanent shocks.

Regional Labor Market Performance in Europe

2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 270-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helmut Herwartz ◽  
Annekatrin Niebuhr
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Labor Markets ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Market Performance ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Regional Labor Markets ◽  
Regional Labor

The labor market effects of the recent financial and economic crisis are rather heterogeneous across countries and regions. Such differences in labor market performance among industrialized countries are an issue of ongoing research. The objective of this article is to analyze labor market disparities among European regions and to provide evidence on the factors behind these differences. Whereas previous research focused on the effects of national labor market institutions, we also take structural characteristics of regions into account and investigate differences in labor demand responsiveness and their potential determinants. The data set covers the Nomenclature des unités territoriales statistiques 2 regions in the EU15 for the period 1980 to 2008. We employ an error correction model that is combined with spatial residual correlation. Our findings point to substantially distinct wage and output elasticities of employment among European countries and regions. Moreover, the rate of adjustment to disequilibrium is subject to significant variation across units of observation. There is robust evidence that labor market institutions affect the adjustment speed of regional labor markets and the wage elasticity of employment. Moreover, the findings suggest that some characteristics of regional labor markets matter as well. However, corresponding results are less robust compared with the evidence on labor market institutions.

scholarly journals The Development of Sectoral Worker Center Networks

2013 ◽  
Vol 647 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor R. Cordero-Guzmán ◽  
Pamela A. Izvănariu ◽  
Victor Narro
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Social Movement ◽  
Labor Market Institutions ◽  
Social Movement Organizations ◽  
Market Institutions ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Worker Centers ◽  
Worker Center ◽  
Movement Organizations ◽  
The Impact

In this article, we argue that understanding the impact of economic structures on low-wage workers requires the study of emerging worker centers and networks and that individual labor market outcomes and experiences are mediated and impacted by the work of these institutions. We focus on the formation of sectoral worker center networks and address three key issues: (1) What are some of the reasons why worker centers and worker center networks have developed? (2) How do these organizations manage their roles as labor market institutions and social movement organizations? and (3) Why did worker center networks focus on employment and in particular sectors of the low-wage labor market? We find that sector-based organizing (1) facilitates the development of worker- and sector-targeted service strategies, thereby enabling low-wage worker groups and organizations to better achieve their service and policy goals; (2) maximizes opportunities for the organizations to obtain national resources; and (3) expands the reach of organizational networks by bringing organizations together to share resources and best practices. By providing a range of worker-, employment-, and labor market–centered services in specific labor market sectors, worker centers and their networks solidify their role as labor market institutions and become more effective advocacy and social movement organizations.

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