Does the Quality of Industrial Relations Matter for the Macro Economy? A Cross-Country Analysis Using Strikes Data

John Addison () and Paulino Teixeira ()

No 2006-02, GEMF Working Papers from GEMF - Faculdade de Economia, Universidade de Coimbra

Abstract: Using international data, we investigate whether the quality of industrial relations matters for the macro economy. We measure industrial relations inversely by strikes – which proxy we cross-check with an industrial relations reputation indicator – and our macro performance outcome is the unemployment rate. Independent of the role of other institutions, good industrial relations do seem to matter: greater strike volume is associated with higher unemployment. Holding country effects constant, however, the sign of the variable is reversed. This fixed-effects result likely picks up a direct effect of strikes, namely, their tendency to rise when striking becomes more attractive to the union.

Keywords: strike rate/volume; quality of labor relations; labor market institutions; unemployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J52 J53 J64 J65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2006
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Working Paper: Does the Quality of Industrial Relations Matter for the Macro Economy? A Cross-Country Analysis Using Strikes Data (2006)
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Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gmf:wpaper:2006-02

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