Unions and Profits: A Meta-Regression Analysis

The effect of unions on profits continues to be an unresolved theoretical and empirical issue. In this paper, clustered data analysis and hierarchical linear meta-regression models are applied to the population of forty-five econometric studies that report 532 estimates of the direct effect of union...

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Published inIndustrial relations (Berkeley) Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 146 - 184
Main Authors DOUCOULIAGOS, HRISTOS, LAROCHE, PATRICE
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Malden, USA Blackwell Publishing Inc 01.01.2009
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Wiley
Subjects
Business administration
Business studies
Cluster analysis
Correlation analysis
Econometrics
Economic impact analysis
Humanities and Social Sciences
Labor unions
Labour relations
Markets
Profit
Profits
Studies
Trade unionism
Trade unions
U.S.A
Unions
United States of America
United States > US
méta-analyse
meta-analysis
profit
syndicalisme
Unions
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Summary:The effect of unions on profits continues to be an unresolved theoretical and empirical issue. In this paper, clustered data analysis and hierarchical linear meta-regression models are applied to the population of forty-five econometric studies that report 532 estimates of the direct effect of unions on profits. Unions have a significant negative effect on profits in the United States, and this effect is larger when market-based measures of profits are used. Separate meta-regression analyses are used to identify the effects of market power and long-lived assets on profits, as well as the sources of union-profit effects. The accumulated evidence rejects market power as a source of union-profit effects. While the case is not yet proven, there is some evidence in support of the appropriation of quasi-rent hypothesis. There is a clear need for further American and non-American primary research in this area. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Bibliography:ArticleID:IREL549
istex:1E49A90D271E4BE622713660D9C0BB19E7CB945E
The paper benefited from comments received from Ronald Oaxaca, Phil Hone, and Stian Ludvigsen, as well as from participants of the Aarhus Colloquium of Meta-Analysis in Economics, Sønderborg, 2007. We are especially grateful to the extensive verbal and written feedback received from T.D. Stanley on earlier versions of the paper. Two anonymous referees helped us to significantly improve the paper. We take full credit for all remaining shortcomings.
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ISSN:0019-8676
1468-232X
DOI:10.1111/j.1468-232X.2008.00549.x