Although works councils are a core element of the German system of industrial relations, there is little reliable information on their incidence and coverage. This paper uses data from the nationally representative IAB establishment panel to fill this gap. We examine the frequency of works...

Theory suggests that firms confront a hold-up problem in dealing with workplace unionism: unions will appropriate a portion of the quasi rents stemming from long-lived capital. As a result, firms may be expected to limit their exposure to rent seeking by reducing investments, among other things....

In her recent survey, Frege (2002) concludes that economic analysis of the works council has reached a "dead end". The present treatment offers a different conclusion based on a more encompassing review of the evidence. It will identify three distinct phases in the economic analysis of...

Obgleich die Betriebsräte ein Kernelement des bundesdeutschen Systems der industriellen Beziehungen darstellen, gibt es kaum zuverlässige Informationen über ihre Verbreitung. Der folgende Beitrag verwendet Daten des IAB-Betriebspanels um die Verbreitung von Betriebsräten in unterschiedlichen...

Using quantile regressions and a rich cross section data set for German manufacturing plants, this paper reports that the impact of works councils on labor productivity varies along the conditional distribution of value added per employee. It emerges that the positive and statistically...