Voice at Work

Arbeitspapier

We estimate the effects of worker voice on job quality and separations. We leverage the 1991 introduction of worker representation on boards of Finnish firms with at least 150 employees. In contrast to exit-voice theory, our difference-in-differences design reveals no effects on voluntary job separations, and at most small positive effects on other measures of job quality (job security, health, subjective job quality, and wages). Worker voice slightly raised firm survival, productivity, and capital intensity. A 2008 introduction of shop-floor representation had similarly limited effects. Interviews and surveys indicate that worker representation facilitates information sharing rather than boosting labor's power.

Show object

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: IZA Discussion Papers ; No. 14163

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Labor-Management Relations; Industrial Jurisprudence ; Producer Cooperatives; Labor Managed Firms; Employee Ownership
• Subject: industrial relations ; corporate governance ; codetermination ; exit-voice theory ; separations ; job quality

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Harju, Jarkko ; Jäger, Simon ; Schoefer, Benjamin
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
• (where): Bonn
• (when): 2021

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/232915