Econ Papers Daily / 期刊论文
罢工与机器：挪威两次世界大战期间的投资
Strikes and Machines: Investments in the Norwegian Inter-War-Period
摘要
To what extent do strike threats prompt firms to adopt capital-intensive methods to deter strikes or labor-intensive strategies to maintain flexibility during work stoppages? We introduce a theoretical model that demonstrates how threats of industrial action influence capital investments through relative factor prices and the power dynamics between workers and employers. Using newly digitized data from 3,141 industrial conflicts and collective agreements in Norway during the interwar period, our findings indicate that strikes generally drive firms toward less capital-intensive technologies. This trend is particularly pronounced in conflicts resolved at the branch or national level, where strike threats may appear more exogenous to firms.
中文摘要
罢工威胁在多大程度上促使企业采用资本密集型方法以遏制罢工，或采取劳动密集型策略以在停工期间保持灵活性？我们引入了一个理论模型，展示了工业行动威胁如何通过相对要素价格以及工人与雇主之间的权力动态影响资本投资。利用一战期间挪威3,141起工业冲突和集体协议的新数字化数据，我们的研究结果表明，罢工通常促使企业转向资本密集度较低的技术。这一趋势在分支或国家层面解决的冲突中尤为显著，因为在这些情况下，罢工威胁对企业而言可能显得更具外生性。