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Central Wage Setting under Multiple Technological Equilibria: A Mechanism for Equilibrium Elimination
Author(s) -
Roberts Mark A.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.725
H-Index - 64
eISSN - 1467-9442
pISSN - 0347-0520
DOI - 10.1111/1467-9442.00288
Subject(s) - economics , wage , wage bargaining , general equilibrium theory , microeconomics , labour economics , efficiency wage
Instituting an initial round of centralized wage setting before an ultimate round of decentralized wage bargaining may actually raise employment. A general multi–equilibrium model is set up with strategic complementarities in the implementation of a new technology through aggregate demand spillovers. In this model, centralized wage setting to establish an outside option wage, which is selectively binding on lo–tech firms, may achieve the “big push” to a hi–tech general equilibrium with higher employment, output, wages and profits.