Worker self-selection and the profits from cooperation

Open Access
Authors
Publication date 2009
Journal Journal of the European Economic Association
Volume | Issue number 7 | 2/3
Pages (from-to) 573-582
Organisations
  • Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) - Amsterdam School of Economics Research Institute (ASE-RI)
Abstract We investigate a competitive labor market with team production. Workers differ in their motivation to exert team effort, and types are private information. We show that there can exist a separating equilibrium in which workers self-select into different firms and firms employing cooperative workers make strictly positive profits. Profit differences across firms persist because cooperation strictly increases output and worker separation requires firms employing cooperative workers to pay out weakly lower wages.
Document type Article
Language English
Published at https://doi.org/10.1162/JEEA.2009.7.2-3.573
Downloads
318771.pdf (Final published version)
Permalink to this page
Back