2.30-3.45 PM
What can you expect?
Historically, competition policy has focused on how consumers benefit from increased competition. But with the recent research on imperfect labour markets, it has become clear that weak competition among employers for the work force has the same negative effect. As the wage setting power of employers often are substantial, this reduces wages and weakens the economic efficiency of economies. Firms can improve their market power by several measures, such as: illegal collusion, non-compete agreements, occupational licensing and mergers. Trade unions, collective agreements and minimum wages can work as counter-veiling forces. In terms of policy, US has taken important steps in recent years, in order to secure or to improve competition in the labour market. Eu has taken some small steps in the same direction.
Ioana Marinescu is an associate professor in economics at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research is focused on wage-setting, labour market power and antitrust law for the labour market. In 2022-24, Marinescu was the principal economist at the US Department of Justice Antitrust Division.