Do Unions Affect Innovation?
利用工会选举中微弱多数通过的断点回归设计，发现工会化导致企业专利数量下降8.7%、质量下降12.5%，研发支出减少、发明者生产率降低和人才流失是主要机制。
We examine the effect of unionization on firm innovation, using a regression discontinuity design that relies on “locally” exogenous variation generated by elections that pass or fail by a small margin of votes. Passing a union election results in an 8.7% (12.5%) decline in patent quantity (quality) three years after the election. A reduction in R&D expenditures, reduced productivity of inventors, and departures of innovative inventors appear to be plausible underlying mechanisms through which unionization impedes firm innovation. In response to unionization, firms move their innovation activities away from states where union elections win. Our paper provides new insights into the real effects of unionization. This paper was accepted by Gustavo Manso, finance.