Rafael Gralla

Separating Introduction Effects from Selectivity Effects: The Differences in Employment Patterns of Co-Determined Firms

This study examines differences in employment growth between firms with and without works councils by separating introduction effects from potential selectivity effects. Using a difference in differences framework, we show that firms with works councils have higher employment growth before establishing a works council. However, employment growth declines after introduction. We identify the reason for lower employment growth in reduced hiring rates but constant dismissal rates.

Let’s call it a day - The effect of works councils on working hours constraints in german establishments

This study analyzes the impact of works councils on discrepancies between the preferred and actual working hours of employees. The results show that workers in codetermined establishments are more likely to match their working time preferences. This positive effect is due to a reduction of overemployment. However, the presence of works councils can also slightly increase the probability of employees working less than they would prefer. All effects are stronger for parents, especially for mothers, which confirms that works councils care for the compatibility of work and family life. Finally, the positive impact of works councils on working hours constraints can be explained by a lower probability of parents working overtime. JEL classification: J22, J41, C25

The effects of works councils on overtime hours - a censored quantile regression approach

This study analyzes the impact of German codetermination rights on overtime hours. Using German personal data, our results show that the effects of works councils strongly depend on the contracted working time. Furthermore, we find a strong heterogeneity in the effects of works councils across different quantiles of the overtime hours distribution. By considering contracted working time effects and comparing conditional quantiles we find that works council increase the amount of overtime hours if an employee regularly works 35 hours per week. This effect diminishes with increasing quantiles of the distribution of overtime hours. If an employee regularly works 40 hours per week, works councils reduce overtime hours. This reduction becomes larger if higher quantiles are analyzed. JEL classification: J22, J53, C24

Betriebsräte, Überbeschäftigung und überhöhte Löhne – Eine Bewertung aus Sicht der Arbeitgeber

Die wissenschaftliche Diskussion zur Wirkung der durch das Betriebsverfassungsgesetz im betrieblichen Alltag verankerten Mitbestimmung wird nunmehr seit Mitte der 80er Jahre intensiv und kontrovers gefuhrt. Beginnend mit den Studien von FitzRoy und Kraft (1985, 1987 und 1990) sowie Kraft (1986) befasst sich eine Vielzahl von Untersuchungen mit moglichen Einflussen auf Rentabilitat, Produktivitat, Forschungsintensitat, Beschaftigung und Entlohnung.