Pecuniary externalities in economies with downward wage rigidity

A-Tier
Journal: Journal of Monetary Economics
Year: 2020
Volume: 116
Issue: C
Pages: 219-235

Score contribution per author:

4.022 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 2.0x A-tier

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

Abstract

A pecuniary externality in economies with downward nominal wage rigidity leads firms to hire too many workers in expansions, which leads to too much unemployment in recessions. When firms hire more workers, firms fail to internalize that competition for workers between firms pushes up the aggregate wage, which imposes a negative externality over other firms. The externality can be resolved by a macroprudential tax on labor in expansions. In the calibrated model, the tax reduces the welfare cost of downward nominal wage rigidity by up to 90%, as it makes the economy significantly less exposed to unemployment crises.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:moneco:v:116:y:2020:i:c:p:219-235
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-29