Heterogeneity and Aggregation: Implications for Labor-Market Fluctuations: Comment

S-Tier
Journal: American Economic Review
Year: 2014
Volume: 104
Issue: 4
Pages: 1446-60

Score contribution per author:

8.043 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 4.0x S-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Chang and Kim (2007) develop an incomplete asset markets model incorporating discrete labor supply and idiosyncratic labor productivity. Their results resolve long-standing puzzles for business cycle models. Specifically, they produce a low correlation between aggregate hours worked and labor productivity (0.23) and a labor wedge with 76 percent the volatility of output. I show that these results arise from errors in their computational method. I resolve their model using a corrected method and find a strong, positive correlation between hours and productivity (0.80). Fluctuations in the labor wedge decrease to 24 percent of those in output.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:aea:aecrev:v:104:y:2014:i:4:p:1446-60
Journal Field
General
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29