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Real and Nominal Wage Rigidities and the Rate of Inflation: Evidence from West German Micro Data

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Author Info
Thomas Bauer
Holger Bonin
Lorenz Goette
Uwe Sunde

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Abstract

This article examines real and nominal wage rigidities in West Germany. Using regionally disaggregated register data for 1975-2001, we estimate the extent of both types of wage rigidities from the observed distribution of individual wage changes, taking into account possible measurement error. The fraction of workers facing wage increases that are caused by nominal and particularly real wage rigidity is substantial. The extent of real rigidity rises with inflation and falls with regional unemployment, whereas the opposite holds for nominal rigidity. Overall, the incidence of wage rigidity, which accelerates unemployment growth, is most likely minimised in a moderate inflation environment. Copyright 2007 The Author(s). Journal compilation Royal Economic Society 2007.

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File URL: http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2007.02094.x
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Publisher Info
Article provided by Royal Economic Society in its journal The Economic Journal.

Volume (Year): 117 (2007)
Issue (Month): 524 (November)
Pages: F508-F529
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Handle: RePEc:ecj:econjl:v:117:y:2007:i:524:p:f508-f529

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  1. Stephen Nickell & Glenda Quintini, 2003. "Nominal wage rigidity and the rate of inflation," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(490), pages 762-781, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  2. Nickell, Stephen & Layard, Richard, 1999. "Labor market institutions and economic performance," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 46, pages 3029-3084 Elsevier. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  3. David Card & Dean Hyslop, 1996. "Does Inflation "Grease the Wheels of the Labor Market"?," NBER Working Papers 5538, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Kahn, Shulamit, 1997. "Evidence of Nominal Wage Stickiness from Microdata," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(5), pages 993-1008, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Tobin, James, 1972. "Inflation and Unemployment," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 62(1), pages 1-18, March.
  7. Ernst Fehr & Armin Falk, 1999. "Wage Rigidity in a Competitive Incomplete Contract Market," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 107(1), pages 106-134, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Joseph G. Altonji & Paul J. Devereux, 1999. "The Extent and Consequences of Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity," NBER Working Papers 7236, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Christofides, Louis N. & Stengos, Thanasis, 2001. "Nominal Wage Rigidity: Non-Parametric Tests Based on Union Data for Canada," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
  10. Smith, Jennifer C, 2000. "Nominal Wage Rigidity in the United Kingdom," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(462), pages C176-95, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. McLaughlin, Kenneth J., 1994. "Rigid wages?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(3), pages 383-414, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Holden, Steinar, 1994. "Wage bargaining and nominal rigidities," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(5), pages 1021-1039, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Fitzenberger, Bernd & Franz, Wolfgang, 1999. "Industry-level wage bargaining : a partial rehabilitation ; the German experience," ZEW Discussion Papers 99-33, ZEW - Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung / Center for European Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Caballero, Ricardo J & Hammour, Mohamad L, 1994. "The Cleansing Effect of Recessions," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 84(5), pages 1350-68, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  16. Campbell, Carl M, III & Kamlani, Kunal S, 1997. "The Reasons for Wage Rigidity: Evidence from a Survey of Firms," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 112(3), pages 759-89, August.
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Bonin, Holger, 2005. "Tarifpolitik, Entgeltflexibilität und Beschäftigung in Ostdeutschland (Colletive bargaining policy, wage flexibility and employment in eastern Germany)," Zeitschrift für ArbeitsmarktForschung - Journal for Labour Market Research, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 38(2/3), pages 165-179. [Downloadable!]
  2. Karsten Kohn & Alexander Lembcke, 2007. "Wage distributions by bargaining regime," AStA Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv, Springer, vol. 1(3), pages 247-261, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Thomas Cornelißen & Olaf Hübler, 2008. "Downward wage rigidity and job mobility," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 205-230, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Steinar Holden & Fredrik Wulfsberg, 2007. "Downward nominal wage rigidity in the OECD," Working Paper Series 777, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Steinar Holden & Fredrik Wulfsberg, 2007. "How strong is the case for downward real wage rigidity?," Working Papers 07-6, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. [Downloadable!]
  6. Knoppik, Christoph & Beissinger, Thomas, 2005. "Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity in Europe: An Analysis of European Micro Data from the ECHP 1994-2001," IZA Discussion Papers 1492, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  7. Maida Agata & Devicienti Francesco & Sestito Paolo, 2005. "Downward wage rigidity in Italy: micro-based measures and implications," Department of Economics Working Papers 200503, University of Turin. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  8. Patrick Puhani, 2005. "Transatlantic Differences in Labour Markets Changes in Wage and Non-Employment Structures in the 1980s and the 1990s," Darmstadt Discussion Papers in Economics 156, Institut für Volkswirtschaftslehre (Department of Economics), Technische Universität Darmstadt (Darmstadt University of Technology). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Kai Christoffel & Tobias Linzert, 2005. "The Role of Real Wage Rigidity and Labor Market Frictions for Unemployment and Inflation Dynamics," IZA Discussion Papers 1896, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  10. Steinar Holden & Fredrik Wulfsberg, 2007. "Are Real Wages Rigid Downwards?," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo GmbH. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  11. Louis N. Christofides & Paris Nearchou, 2007. "Real and Nominal Wage Rigidities in Collective Bargaining Agreements," IZA Discussion Papers 2799, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  12. Thomas Dohmen & Hartmut Lehmann & Mark E. Schaffer, 2008. "Wage Policies of a Russian Firm and the Financial Crisis of 1998 : Evidence from Personnel Data - 1997 to 2002," ESCIRRU Working Papers 4, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  13. Cornelißen, Thomas & Hübler, Olaf, 2005. "Downward Wage Rigidity and Labour Mobility," IZA Discussion Papers 1523, Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). [Downloadable!]
  14. William T. Dickens & Lorenz Goette & Erica L. Groshen & Steinar Holden & Julian Messina & Mark E. Schweitzer & Jarkko Turunen & Melanie Ward, 2006. "The interaction of labor markets and inflation: analysis of micro data from the International Wage Flexibility Project," Proceedings, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. [Downloadable!]
  15. Janet L. Yellen, 2004. "Stabilization policy: a reconsideration," Speech, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, issue Jul 1. [Downloadable!]
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