Decentralized versus centralized collective bargaining: is the collective bargaining structure in Spain efficient?

Abstract

Recently, a number of proposals have claimed a decentralization of the collective bargaining structure in Spain. These proposals start from the premise that the current procedures for collective bargaining are inefficient, given the predominance of intermediate-level collective bargaining, leading to persistently bad outcomes in terms of inflation and unemployment. This paper tests the validity of these proposals, analyzing whether, first, the coverage and, second, the collective bargaining structure in Spain are a determinant factor of the rates of unemployment and inflation.collective bargaining, inflation, Spain, unemployment, wages,