Leaving labour markets to the market mechanism with flexible wages is the worst thing that can happen as the result would be a permanent destabilisation of the price level and an explosion of inequality—both of which adds to the instabilities of capitalism. Guarantee of minimum wages can play...

Using administrative data for West Germany, this paper investigates whether part of the urban wage premium stems from fierce competition in thick labour markets. We first establish that employers possess less wage-setting power in denser markets. Local differences in wage-setting power predict...

Using administrative data for West Germany, this paper investigates whether part of the urban wage premium stems from fierce competition in thick labour markets. We first establish that employers possess less wage-setting power in denser markets. Local differences in wage-setting power predict...

I study how labour market power affects firm wage differences using German manufacturing sector firm-level data (1995-2016). In past decades, labour market power increasingly moderated rising between-firm wage inequality. This is becausehigh-paying firms possess high and increasing labour market...