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Macroeconomic adjustment under regime change: From social contract to Arab Spring

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  • Faria, João Ricardo
  • McAdam, Peter

Abstract

Against the backdrop of the Arab–Spring protests, we examine macroeconomic stabilization under regime shift. We model this as a dynamic interaction between a government and a profit-maximizing firm. The former imposes the state of technology, some value of rent extraction, labor-market rigidities and time preference. The firm, conditional on these factors and the optimally-determined inflation rate, sets labor demand. Given its extractive nature, there is a continuous probability of a political regime shift, characterized by a hazard function (we compare state and non state contingent forms). The model is able to rationalize the early growth and developmental gains of many Arab economies and their subsequent reversal, as well as the later stalling of economic reforms. The model provides a novel analysis of the evolution of the Arab economies, the shifting time preferences of policy makers and their interaction with economic reforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Faria, João Ricardo & McAdam, Peter, 2015. "Macroeconomic adjustment under regime change: From social contract to Arab Spring," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 1-22.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jimfin:v:56:y:2015:i:c:p:1-22
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jimonfin.2015.04.001
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inflation; Unemployment; Stabilization; Arab Spring; Transition;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • F43 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Economic Growth of Open Economies
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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