Working in large food retailers in France and the USA: the key role of institutions

Philippe Askenazy, Jean-Baptiste Berry, Françoise Carré, Sophie Prunier-Poulmaire and Chris Tilly
Additional contact information
Jean-Baptiste Berry: National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE), France
Françoise Carré: University of Massachusetts Boston, USA
Sophie Prunier-Poulmaire: Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense, France
Chris Tilly: University of California Los Angeles, USA

Work, Employment & Society, 2012, vol. 26, issue 4, 588-605

Abstract: Despite numerous similarities between the food retail sectors of France and the USA, there are significant contrasts in the jobs, and in particular the modal job, cashier. Notably, there are differences in pay, productivity and physical working position. Using the concept of ‘national-sectoral models’ of employment practices, this research draws on in-depth, interview-based case studies of food retailers in France and the USA, as well as standard data sources, to probe the reasons for these differences. Cross-national differences in wage-setting institutions, along with other institutional differences linked to family roles and disparate shopping cultures in the two countries, are key causes. These differences play out in interaction with distinct labour supply patterns, themselves based in part on differing institutions regarding reproduction of the labour force.

Keywords: cashiers; entry level jobs; job quality; labour market; labour process; retail; sector; societal effect; wages (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2012
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Working Paper: Working in large food retailers in France and the USA: The key role of institutions (2012)
Working Paper: Working in large food retailers in France and the USA: The key role of institutions (2012)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:woemps:v:26:y:2012:i:4:p:588-605

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