University of Cagliari, Italy, and IZA, Germany
IZA World of Labor role
Author
Current position
Assistant Professor of Economics, University of Cagliari, Italy
Research interest
Labor economics
Qualifications
PhD Economics, University of Essex, 2007
Selected publications
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“Sunk capital, unions and the hold-up problem: Theory and evidence from cross-country sectoral data.” European Economic Review 76:May (2015): 253–274 (with G. Cardullo and M. Conti).
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“Managerial practices and students performance.” Economic Policy 30:84 (2015): 683–728 (with A. Di Liberto and F. Schivardi).
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“Human capital, employment protection and growth in Europe.” Journal of Comparative Economics (Forthcoming) (with M. Conti).
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“Gender wage differentials in Italy: A structural estimation approach.” Journal of Population Economics 25:1 (2012): 53–87.
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“Wage dispersion and equilibrium search models: Some evidence from Italy.” Labour 22:4 (2008): 593–627.
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Unions and investment in intangible capital
When workers and firms cannot commit to long-term contracts and capital investments are sunk, union power can reduce investment
Giovanni Sulis, November 2015Although coverage of collective bargaining agreements has been declining for decades in most countries, it is still extensive, especially in non-Anglo-Saxon countries. Strong unions may influence firms’ incentives to invest in capital, particularly in sectors where capital investments are sunk (irreversible), as in research-intensive sectors. Whether unions affect firms’ investment in capital depends on the structure and coordination of bargaining, the preference of unions between wages and employment, the quality of labor-management relations, and the existence of social pacts, among other factors.MoreLess