The Myth of Worksharing

Arie Kapteyn, Adriaan Kalwij and Asghar Zaidi

No 188, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Worksharing is considered by many as a promising public policy to reduce unemployment. In this paper we present a review of the most pertinent theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature on worksharing. In addition, we also provide new empirical evidence on this issue, by a cross country analysis exploiting aggregate data for 13 OECD countries. The conclusions of the literature survey are indecisive. Conclusions about the efficacy of worksharing as an employment enhancing policy tool depend heavily on the setting in which the analysis takes place. Our empirical analysis does not find any evidence for the proposition that worksharing would promote employment or reduce unemployment. In an appendix we present an overview of recent public policy experience of European Countries with respect to different forms of worksharing. Also here the evidence is mixed.

Keywords: panel data; hours of work; Employment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C33 E24 J2 J3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 55 pages
Date: 2000-08
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

Published - published in: Labour Economics, 2004, 11 (3), 293-313

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Related works:
Journal Article: The myth of worksharing (2004)
Working Paper: The Myth of Worksharing (2000)
Working Paper: The Myth of Worksharing (2000)
Working Paper: The Myth of Worksharing (2000)
Working Paper: The Myth of Worksharing (2000)
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