Labor Monopsony
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Topic Monopsony

Monopsony in the labor market describes employers’ ability to set wages below competitive levels, due to a variety of causes. including increased market concentration and limited job mobility. Equitable Growth digs deep to understand the many causes of monopsony in the U.S. labor market, the extent of monopsony in the labor market today, and what policies can restore balance to competition so workers can earn fair wages.

Featured work

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A primer on monopsony power: Its causes, consequences, and implications for U.S. workers and economic growth

By Carmen Sanchez Cumming,

July 27, 2022

July 27, 2022

Carmen Sanchez Cumming,
Labor
TOPICS: 1
Monopsony
TOPICS: Monopsony
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Understanding the economics of monopsony: How labor markets work under imperfect competition

By Carmen Sanchez Cumming,

April 6, 2022

April 6, 2022

Carmen Sanchez Cumming,
Labor
TOPICS: 2
Bargaining Power, Monopsony
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Monopsony
working paper

Walmart Supercenters and Monopsony Power: How a Large, Low-Wage Employer Impacts Local Labor Markets

By Justin Wiltshire,

January 28, 2022

January 28, 2022

Justin Wiltshire,
Labor
TOPICS: 1
Monopsony
TOPICS: Monopsony
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Kate Bahn testimony before the Joint Economic Committee on monopsony, workers, and corporate power

By Kate Bahn,

July 14, 2021

July 14, 2021

Kate Bahn,
CompetitionLabor
TOPICS: 2
Concentration, Monopsony
TOPICS: Concentration, Monopsony
Vision 2020

Wage and employment implications of U.S. labor market monopsony and possible policy solutions

By Sydnee Caldwell, Suresh Naidu,

February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020

Sydnee Caldwell, Suresh Naidu,
CompetitionLaborInequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 10
Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Concentration, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Income & Earnings Volatility, Job Mobility, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Concentration, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Income & Earnings Volatility, Job Mobility, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
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Understanding the importance of monopsony power in the U.S. labor market

By Kate Bahn,

July 5, 2018

July 5, 2018

Kate Bahn,
Labor
TOPICS: 2
Bargaining Power, Monopsony
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Monopsony

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Request for Proposals: Promoting competition and supporting workers in an era of AI innovation

By Equitable Growth,

November 20, 2024

November 20, 2024

Equitable Growth,
LaborCompetitionTax & MacroeconomicsFamiliesInequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 33
AI, tech, & the economy, Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Pay Equity, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Schedule Stability, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: AI, tech, & the economy, Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Pay Equity, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Schedule Stability, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance, Wage Stagnation
report

Request for proposals: Research grants for early career scholars

By Equitable Growth,

October 30, 2024

October 30, 2024

Equitable Growth,
CompetitionLaborTax & MacroeconomicsFamiliesInequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 32
Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Pay Equity, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Schedule Stability, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Pay Equity, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Schedule Stability, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance, Wage Stagnation
report

Request for Proposals: How effective was the fiscal response to the COVID-19 recession for workers?

By Equitable Growth,

March 18, 2024

March 18, 2024

Equitable Growth,
CompetitionLaborTax & MacroeconomicsFamiliesInequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 26
Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance
TOPICS: Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Taxes, Inequality & Growth, Unemployment Insurance
report

Request for proposals: Research grants for early career scholars

By Equitable Growth,

November 30, 2023

November 30, 2023

Equitable Growth,
CompetitionLaborTax & MacroeconomicsFamiliesInequality & Mobility
TOPICS: 28
Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
TOPICS: Anticompetitive Conduct, Antitrust Enforcement, Bargaining Power, Business Taxation, Childcare & Early Education, Climate, Concentration, Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Fiscal Policy, GDP 2.0, Gender, Health, Income & Earnings Volatility, Individual Taxation, Job Mobility, K-12, Minimum Wage, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Paid Leave, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
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New research finds $15 minimum wages raise pay and increase employment for low-wage workers

By Michael Reich, Justin Wiltshire, Carl McPherson,

October 16, 2023

October 16, 2023

Michael Reich, Justin Wiltshire, Carl McPherson,
Labor
TOPICS: 2
Minimum Wage, Monopsony
TOPICS: Minimum Wage, Monopsony
working paper

Minimum wage effects and monopsony explanations

By Justin Wiltshire, Carl McPherson, Michael Reich, Denis Sosinskiy,

October 16, 2023

October 16, 2023

Justin Wiltshire, Carl McPherson, Michael Reich, Denis Sosinskiy,
Labor
TOPICS: 4
Bargaining Power, Minimum Wage, Monopsony, Pay Equity
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Minimum Wage, Monopsony, Pay Equity
grant

The Role of Regulations in the Development of Labor Market Power: Evidence from Clean Air Act’s New Source Review Permit Program

By Jonathan Kowarski,

August 30, 2023

August 30, 2023

Jonathan Kowarski,
CompetitionLabor
TOPICS: 3
Anticompetitive Conduct, Concentration, Monopsony
TOPICS: Anticompetitive Conduct, Concentration, Monopsony
grant

Microeconomic and Macroeconomic Implications of Wage Rigidity

By Andres Drenik, Christian Moser, Andres Blanco,

August 30, 2023

August 30, 2023

Andres Drenik, Christian Moser, Andres Blanco,
Tax & MacroeconomicsLabor
TOPICS: 5
Fiscal Policy, Job Mobility, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Fiscal Policy, Job Mobility, Monetary Policy, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
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Equitable Growth delivers letter responding to the NTIA’s Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment

By Kathryn Zickuhr,

March 6, 2023

March 6, 2023

Kathryn Zickuhr,
Labor
TOPICS: 4
AI, tech, & the economy, Bargaining Power, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: AI, tech, & the economy, Bargaining Power, Monopsony, Wage Stagnation
working paper

Power and Dignity in the Low-Wage Labor Market: Theory and Evidence from Wal-Mart Workers

By Arindrajit Dube, Suresh Naidu, Adam Reich,

December 14, 2022

December 14, 2022

Arindrajit Dube, Suresh Naidu, Adam Reich,
LaborCompetition
TOPICS: 3
Bargaining Power, Concentration, Monopsony
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Concentration, Monopsony
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Equitable Growth delivers comment letter responding to U.S. Department of Labor’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on classifying employees and independent contractors

By Equitable Growth,

December 13, 2022

December 13, 2022

Equitable Growth,
Labor
TOPICS: 6
Bargaining Power, Job Mobility, Minimum Wage, Monopsony, Schedule Stability, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Job Mobility, Minimum Wage, Monopsony, Schedule Stability, Wage Stagnation
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Equitable Growth delivers comment letter responding to the National Labor Relations Board’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Joint-Employer Standard

By Equitable Growth,

December 7, 2022

December 7, 2022

Equitable Growth,
Labor
TOPICS: 5
Bargaining Power, Job Mobility, Monopsony, Schedule Stability, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Bargaining Power, Job Mobility, Monopsony, Schedule Stability, Wage Stagnation
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