This study provides an assessment of the features that, operating "inside the black box", shapes the evolution of the Italian economy. In the first section the focus is placed on the functioning of the labour market at the aggregate level. The picture described suggests that the Italian labour...

In this paper we challenge Parente and Prescott's (1999) theoretical framework, which establishes that unions use their control of quot;work practicesquot; to thwart the efficient use of technology in the firms. We argue instead that unions, despite endowing monopoly rights over a technology,...

This paper combines two of the most central features of modern labor markets - immigrants and unions - to examine the role of worker power in shaping immigrant sorting across firms, and how that subsequently influences the performance of firms and the careers of incumbent workers. First, unions...