Monopsony By Artifice

Monopsony by artifice is [[ArinDube|Arin Dube]]’s phrase in The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it explains why we’re not paid enough for employer power created by restrictions rather than by natural scarcity. The episode’s main example is Non-Compete Agreements, which can stop workers from taking competing jobs even when other employers might want to hire them.

The concept sits between Labor Monopsony and Contract Theory / 契约理论. It shows that a labor market can look competitive on paper while legal clauses, employer agreements, or administrative barriers reduce real worker choice.

Connections

• Non-Compete Agreements and No-Poaching Agreements - artificial restrictions on worker mobility.
• Labor Monopsony and Labor Search Frictions - broader market-power context.
• Labor Market Counterforces - policy and institutional responses.
• The Wage Standard - book context for the episode’s wage-power frame.