Worker representation on corporate boards has gained popularity as a way to promote the workers’ interests. This column explores whether worker wages are linked to worker representation on corporate boards, using ten years of data from Norway. Workers are paid more and face less earnings risk if they work in firms with worker representation on the board, but these benefits can be entirely explained by firm size and the share of unionised workers. While workers may benefit from being employed in firms with worker representation, they would not benefit from legislation mandating worker representation on corporate boards.
Christine Blandhol, Magne Mogstad, J Peter Nilsson, Ola L. Vestad, 13 February 2021
Agata Maida, Andrea Weber, 15 March 2019
Mandated gender quotas in Italy have been successful at increasing the number of women on boards. But the relevant law is temporary and affects only a small number of firms. The column uses evidence on employment and earnings to show no increase in female representation at the top executive level or among top earners. This may be because norms and perceptions take time to change, or because newly appointed women in senior roles wield limited power.
Johanne Grosvold, Stephen Pavelin, Ian Tonks, 27 March 2012
It is no secret that men outnumber women in the boardroom many times over. This column looks at the latest government efforts to redress this imbalance, particularly in the UK, and asks why so few companies are willing to increase the number of women on their board.
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Hoekman, Tu, Wang, 12 July 2021
Events
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31 - 31 July 2021 / Call for papers deadline, Aix-en-Provence / CEPR/AMSE/Banque de France
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2 - 8 August 2021 / Harnack House, Berlin / Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance
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23 - 24 August 2021 / Palais Coburg, Vienna, Austria / WU Vienna - Research Institute for Capital Markets
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25 - 27 August 2021 / Online /
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26 - 27 August 2021 / Lecce, Italy /
