Why are labor markets in Spain and Germany so different?

C-Tier
Journal: Economic Modeling
Year: 2018
Volume: 75
Issue: C
Pages: 320-335

Score contribution per author:

0.503 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

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

Abstract

The volatility of unemployment fluctuations has been about 3 times higher in Spain than in Germany over the recent business cycles (1996–2013). Besides, the rates of unemployment of these two countries have moved on opposite directions featuring negative cross correlation. We estimate a DSGE model with unemployment and find these explanatory factors: (i) wage rigidity has been higher in Spain, (ii) the elasticity of hours per worker has been lower in Spain, (iii) labor force shocks have been stronger and more persistent in Spain, (iv) risk-premium shocks have deteriorated labor demand in Spain while fiscal/net exports shocks have stimulated labor demand in Germany, and (v) the idiosyncratic shocks from the ECB single monetary policy have switched from reducing Spanish unemployment (before 2007) to increasing it (after 2007).

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:ecmode:v:75:y:2018:i:c:p:320-335
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25