This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

Wages, Employment and Futures Markets

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Ariane Breitfelder () (Department of Economics, University of Munich)
Udo Broll () (Department of Economics, Dresden University of Technology)
Kit Pong Wong () (School of Economics and Finance, University of Hong Kong)
Abstract

This paper places the competitive firm under output price uncertainty in a standard efficiency wage model, wherein the work effort of labor depends on the wage rate set by the firm. Irrespective of the availability of a commodity futures market, we show that the Solow condition holds in that the equilibrium effort-wage elasticity is unity. The optimal wage rate is preference-free and independent of the underlying output price uncertainty under the efficiency wage hypothesis. Furthermore, we show that the introduction of the commodity futures market induces the firm to hire more labor and thereby produce more output if the firm is sufficiently risk averse.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://www.taloustieteellinenyhdistys.fi/images/stories/fep/fep22008_broll.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Article provided by Finnish Economic Association in its journal Finnish Economic Papers.

Volume (Year): 21 (2008)
Issue (Month): 2 (Autumn)
Pages: 118-123
Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Handle: RePEc:fep:journl:v:21:y:2008:i:2:p:118-123

Contact details of provider:
Web page: http://www.taloustieteellinenyhdistys.fi
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Helinä Laakkonen).

Related research
Keywords:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D21 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior
J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

References listed on IDEAS
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. Pisauro, Giuseppe, 1991. "The effect of taxes on labour in efficiency wage models," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 329-345, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Schlicht, Ekkehart, 1978. "Labour Turnover, Wage Structure, and Natural Unemployment," Discussion Papers in Economics 1255, University of Munich, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  3. Akerlof, George A, 1982. "Labor Contracts as Partial Gift Exchange," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 97(4), pages 543-69, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Shapiro, Carl & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1984. "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 433-44, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Holthausen, Duncan M, 1979. "Hedging and the Competitive Firm under Price Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 69(5), pages 989-95, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Broll, Udo & Wong, Kit Pong & Zilcha, Itzhak, 1999. "Multiple Currencies and Hedging," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 66(264), pages 421-32, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Danthine, Jean-Pierre, 1978. "Information, futures prices, and stabilizing speculation," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 17(1), pages 79-98, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Kit Pong Wong, 2003. "Export Flexibility And Currency Hedging," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 44(4), pages 1295-1312, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Malcomson, James M, 1981. "Unemployment and the Efficiency Wage Hypothesis," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 91(364), pages 848-66, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  10. Sandmo, Agnar, 1971. "On the Theory of the Competitive Firm under Price Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 61(1), pages 65-73, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Solow, Robert M., 1979. "Another possible source of wage stickiness," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 79-82. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Kawai, Masahiro & Zilcha, Itzhak, 1986. "International trade with forward-futures markets under exchange rate and price uncertainty," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 20(1-2), pages 83-98, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Weiss, Andrew W, 1980. "Job Queues and Layoffs in Labor Markets with Flexible Wages," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(3), pages 526-38, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  14. Lin, Chung-Cheng & Lai, Ching-Chong, 1997. "The Solow Condition in an Efficiency Wage Model with Overtime Work," Australian Economic Papers, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 36(69), pages 342-50, December.
  15. Katz, Eliakim & Paroush, Jacob, 1979. "The effect of forward markets on exporting firms," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 271-274. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  16. Lin, Chung-cheng & Lai, Ching-chong, 1994. "The turnover costs and the Solow condition in an efficiency wage model with intertemporal optimization," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 45(4), pages 501-505, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Use the JEL tree to browse through the database by subfields.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-27.


This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.