How does the Construction of a Unified National Market Raise the Labor Income Share: A Quasi-natural Experiment from the Perspective of Administrative Monopoly

Liu Changgeng, Jiang Ling, Zhang Lei, Wang Yuhang

Journal of Shanghai University of Finance and Economics Vol. 26, Issue 01, pp. 3 - 17 (2024)  DOI:10.16538/j.cnki.jsufe.2024.01.001

Summary

The construction of a unified national market is the core content of perfecting the socialist market economy system. However, there is no definite conclusion in the academic circle as to how the unified national market affects factor income distribution and whether it is consistent with the goal of common prosperity. Based on the quasi-natural experiment constructed by Anti-Monopoly Law, this paper adopts the micro data of listed enterprises from 2004 to 2020 and investigates the distribution effect of constructing a unified national market on factor income. The results show that: (1) The construction of a unified national market effectively increases the labor income share of enterprises in China, and the gradual tilting of the labor-capital power contrast towards labor factors is an important reason for this result. (2) Mechanism analysis shows that the construction of a unified national market enhances the bargaining power of workers by weakening the market power of enterprises and facilitating the channels for the smooth flow of factors, thereby increasing the labor income share of enterprises. (3) Heterogeneity analysis shows that the factor income distribution effect of constructing a unified domestic market is more prominent in the central and western regions, where the degree of administrative monopoly is higher and the degree of marketization is lower, as well as in non-state-owned enterprises, which are more market-oriented. This paper provides a micro-explanation for the phenomenon of rising labor income share in China after the financial crisis and provides empirical evidence for better utilizing the positive effect of a unified national market.

Keywords

a unified national market; labor income share; administrative monopoly