Bargaining Power, Wages and Employment

This study of agricultural labour markets in India focuses on one of the most deprived groups in the country - agricultural labourers. Using data from five different agro-climatic zones, the author develops a new bargaining model for the casual labour market at the village level. Topics of particular interest include: the analysis of quasi-cooperative forms of behaviour that persist even where labour unions are nonexistent; and the importance of recognizing gender disparity in bargaining power.