Labor Market Institutions in OECD Countries: Origins and Consequences.

Abstract: This thesis is a contribution to the field of labor economics. It investigates the effects of labor market institutions, such as the labor taxes, unemployment benefits, labor standards and industrial relations systems on the labor market performance. It also raises the question of their legitimacy, from a welfare point of view and provides some explanation for the differences in regulations between the United States (where the government intervention is limited) and most European countries (with generous social systems and important government intervention). Most of the dissertation (Chapters 3, 4 and 5) is devoted to the analysis of employment protection legislation. The broad message of this thesis is that labor market rigidities are not intrinsically bad for the economic performance, but that they should be shaped to each other and to essential characteristics of the countries and their populations.