Anatomy of a Credit Crunch: From Capital to Labor Markets

B-Tier
Journal: Review of Economic Dynamics
Year: 2015
Volume: 18
Issue: 1
Pages: 101-117

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

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

Abstract

Why are financial crises associated with a sustained rise in unemployment? We develop a tractable model with frictions in both credit and labor markets to study the aggregate andmicro-level implications of a credit crunch---i.e., a sudden tightening of collateral constraints. When we simulate a credit crunch calibrated to match the observed decline in the ratio of debt to non-financial assets of the United States business sector following the 2007-8 crisis, our model generates a sharp decline in output---explained by a drop in aggregate total factor productivity and investment---and a protracted increase in unemployment. We then explore the micro-level impact by tracking the employment dynamics for firms of different sizes and ages. The credit crunch causes a much larger reduction in the net employment growth rate of small, young establishments relative to that of large, old producers, consistent with the recent empirical findings in the literature. (Copyright: Elsevier)

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:red:issued:14-63
Journal Field
Macro
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-25