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

John Addison and Paulino Teixeira

No 1968, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

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: quality of labor relations; strike rate/volume; labor market institutions; unemployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E24 J52 J53 J64 J65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 38 pages
Date: 2006-02
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-bec and nep-mac
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Published - published as 'Are Good Industrial Relations Good for the Economy?' in: German Economic Review, 2009, 10 (3), 253 - 269

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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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