In this paper, we analyze the relationship between wage outcomes and the nature of international trade and economic integration when labour markets are unionized and a homogeneous product market is characterized by intra-industry trade. We characterize the full set of possible trade regimes for...

In an international oligopoly model, we investigate how trade liberalisation impacts on collective bargaining outcomes when workers are represented by open shop unions. We find that, with intermediate levels of union density, trade liberalisation may lead to higher negotiated wages even if no...

We show that whether trade is one-way or two-way depends on wage strategies adopted by trade unions. The union?s wage strategy choices themselves depend upon the conditions under which trade takes place, as well as upon the characteristics of both the labour and the product markets in the...

This paper extends the international oligopoly model to the situation of bargaining with an open shop union. Within this setting, we are able to investigate the implications of different levels of union density for both the equilibrium trade regime and wages. We then use this model to examine...

This paper addresses the effects of product market integration on wages. We develop a two-country general equilibrium model of international trade with imperfectly competitive product markets and unionized labor markets. Integration is modelled as either a fall in fixed or variable trade costs....

In the Dixit-Stiglitz model of monopolistic competition, entry of firms is socially too small. Other authors have shown that excess entry is also a possibility with other preferences for diversity. We show that the cost structure and workers's rents can also explain excess entry.

This paper analyses recent trends in wage bargaining institutions in Europe to explain the gradual deterioration in the bargaining position of trade unions. It appears that the integration of European economies is an important factor. This raises the question whether trade unions will respond...

The excessive high public debt of almost all member states of the euro area, resulting from diverging tendencies of economic development, requires appropriate adjustment mechanisms. The crucial role of industrial relations is strengthened by the introduction of the economic policy instruments of...

Globalization in the form of product market integration affects labour markets and produces winners and losers. While there are aggregate gains, it is in general ambiguous how inequality is affected. We explore this issue in a Ricardian model and show that it depends on the balance between...