Quantitative and Institutional Analyzes of the Structure and Transformation of the Shunto System

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Shunto is an idiosyncratic wage-setting institution in Japan that has no parallel in other countries. The purpose of this research is to analyze the structure and its transforation since the mid-1970s. For this purpose, this study employs the following two-level approaches.1. Institutional Analysis. The development of shunto was reviewed historically, and the significance of the formation and spillover of going wage was highlighted.2. Econometric Investigation, Wage function which captures the spillover effect was estimated, using the data from Labor Relations Bureau, Japan Ministry of Labor. Two methods to test the spillover effect were derived from the forgoing literature : relative wages and relative profitability between the key and non-key industries. Incorporating these two measures of spillovers, the empirical estimates proved that, compared to the 1967-1974 period, the spillover effect weakened in the 1975-1989 period.Two conclusions emerge from this research. First, while shunto wage determination is still in existence, the function and outcome have been fundamentally transformed since the mid-1970s. Second, this does not signify that the Japanese wage-setting institution has shifted to become more fragmented. On the contrary, the unified union action and mutual understanding between employers and unions have been intensified in the metal industries. However, this development has led to widening gap of interests between the metal industries and other remaining industries.