Tali Kristal
Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Haifa
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About Tali
Kristal’s research focuses on pay-setting institutions, politics, and the causes of economic inequality in the United States, Israel, and other affluent countries. Current projects include an analysis of the impact of computerization and fading pay-setting institutions on rising wage and benefits inequality in the United States (with Yinon Cohen), and an investigation into how computerization has influenced the decline of unions.
Contributions
In the News
Tali Kristal quoted on causes of inequality by German Lopez, "I was Skeptical of Unions. Then I Joined One." Vox, August 19, 2019.
"Don't Blame Robots for Declining Wages - Blame Dissolving Unions," Tali Kristal, Talking Points Memo, December 4, 2013.
Tali Kristal's research on labor unions discussed by , "How Technology Helps Erode Labor Strength," MSNBC, June 3, 2013.
Tali Kristal's research on labor unions discussed by , "The Real Reason Unions are Dying," AOL, June 3, 2013.
Tali Kristal's research on labor unions discussed by , "Union Membership Decline Boosts Corporate Profit at Workers' Expense, Study Says," Huffington Post, May 30, 2013.
Publications
"The Capitalist Machine: Computerization, Workers' Power, and the Decline in Labor's Share within U.S. Industries" American Sociological Review 78, no. 3 (2013): 361-389.
Examines the causes for the increase in U.S. corporate profits at the expense of workers’ wages and fringe benefits, using decades-long industrial data. Finds that the decline of labor unions has been the main factor driving the surge in U.S. corporate profits at workers’ expense, and that employers enjoyed most of the productivity gains from computerization mostly because the new computer technology furthered labor union decline.
"Slicing the Pie: State Policy, Class Organization, Class Integration, and Labor’s Share of Israeli National Income" Social Problems 60, no. 1 (2013): 100-127.
Investigates how the shift from social protection to economic liberalism affected the division of the Israeli national economic pie between capitalists’ profits and workers’ compensation.
"Good Times, Bad Times: Postwar Labor's Share of National Income in Capitalist Democracies" American Sociological Review 75, no. 5 (2010): 729-763.
Describes labor’s share of national income in 16 industrialized democracies, and uncovers two long-term trends: an increase in labor’s share in the aftermath of World War II, followed by a decrease since the early 1980s. Finds that these trends are largely explained by the organizational strength of labor unions and labor-affiliated political parties.
"Decentralization of Collective Agreements and Rising Wage Inequality in Israel" (with ). Industrial Relations 46, no. 3 (2007): 613-635.
Provides a comprehensive investigation into the processes of decentralization of collective agreements and falling unionization in Israel, and finds that these factors explain a significant part of the sharp rise in wage inequality.