What Do Unions in China Do? Provincial-Level Evidence on Wages, Employment, Productivity, and Economic Output

John W. Budd; Wei Chi; Yijiang Wang; Qianyun Xie

doi:10.1007/s12122-014-9178-4

What Do Unions in China Do? Provincial-Level Evidence on Wages, Employment, Productivity, and Economic Output

John W. Budd, Wei Chi, Yijiang Wang, Qianyun Xie

Work and Organizations

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

31 Scopus citations

Abstract

Utilizing provincial-level data from the period of 1994-2008, this article studies the relationship between union density and wages, employment, productivity, and economic output in China. The findings indicate that union density does not affect average wage levels, but is positively associated with aggregate productivity and output. We discuss if and to what extent these findings are consistent with the familiar two faces of unions model and alternative explanations relevant in the context of Chinese labor and union institutions.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	185-204
Number of pages	20
Journal	Journal of Labor Research
Volume	35
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s12122-014-9178-4
State	Published - Jun 2014

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
Wei Chi thanks support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 71121001); and Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project (grant no. YETP0139).

Keywords

China
Labor unions
Wages

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10.1007/s12122-014-9178-4

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abstract = "Utilizing provincial-level data from the period of 1994-2008, this article studies the relationship between union density and wages, employment, productivity, and economic output in China. The findings indicate that union density does not affect average wage levels, but is positively associated with aggregate productivity and output. We discuss if and to what extent these findings are consistent with the familiar two faces of unions model and alternative explanations relevant in the context of Chinese labor and union institutions.",

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author = "Budd, {John W.} and Wei Chi and Yijiang Wang and Qianyun Xie",

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AU - Chi, Wei

AU - Wang, Yijiang

AU - Xie, Qianyun

N1 - Funding Information: Wei Chi thanks support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 71121001); and Beijing Higher Education Young Elite Teacher Project (grant no. YETP0139).

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N2 - Utilizing provincial-level data from the period of 1994-2008, this article studies the relationship between union density and wages, employment, productivity, and economic output in China. The findings indicate that union density does not affect average wage levels, but is positively associated with aggregate productivity and output. We discuss if and to what extent these findings are consistent with the familiar two faces of unions model and alternative explanations relevant in the context of Chinese labor and union institutions.

AB - Utilizing provincial-level data from the period of 1994-2008, this article studies the relationship between union density and wages, employment, productivity, and economic output in China. The findings indicate that union density does not affect average wage levels, but is positively associated with aggregate productivity and output. We discuss if and to what extent these findings are consistent with the familiar two faces of unions model and alternative explanations relevant in the context of Chinese labor and union institutions.

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What Do Unions in China Do? Provincial-Level Evidence on Wages, Employment, Productivity, and Economic Output

Abstract

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