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Pricing Behavior and the Response of Hours to Productivity Shocks

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  • DOMENICO J. MARCHETTI
  • FRANCESCO NUCCI

Abstract

Recent contributions have suggested that technology shocks have a negative impact on hours, contrary to the prediction of standard flexible-price models of the business cycle. Some authors have interpreted this finding as evidence in favor of sticky-price models, while others have either extended flexible-price models or disputed the empirical finding itself. In this paper, we estimate a variety of alternative total factor productivity measures for a representative sample of Italian manufacturing firms and on average find a negative effect of productivity shocks on hours growth. More interestingly, using the reported frequency of price reviews, we show that the contractionary effect is stronger for firms with stickier prices and weaker or not significant for firms with more flexible prices. Price stickiness remains a crucial factor in shaping the response of hours after controlling for product storability or market power. Copyright 2007 The Ohio State University.

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  • Domenico J. Marchetti & Francesco Nucci, 2007. "Pricing Behavior and the Response of Hours to Productivity Shocks," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 39(7), pages 1587-1611, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcb:jmoncb:v:39:y:2007:i:7:p:1587-1611
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    Cited by:

    1. Catherine Fuss & Ladislav Wintr, 2012. "Rigid Wages and Flexible Employment ?Contrasting Responses to Firm-Level and Sector-Level Productivity Developments," Brussels Economic Review, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles, vol. 55(3), pages 241-268.
    2. Kim Jung-Wook & Chun Hyunbae, 2011. "Technology Shocks and Employment: Evidence from U.S. Firm-Level Data," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 11(1), pages 1-23, September.
    3. Andrei Polbin & Sergey Drobyshevsky, 2014. "Developing a Dynamic Stochastic Model of General Equilibrium for the Russian Economy," Research Paper Series, Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy, issue 166P, pages 156-156.
    4. Ko, Jun-Hyung & Kwon, Hyeog Ug, 2015. "Do technology shocks lower hours worked? – Evidence from Japanese industry level data," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 138-157.
    5. Piccirilli, Giulio, 2009. "Contingent worksharing," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 135-143, June.
    6. KWON Hyeog Ug & Jun-Hyung KO, 2013. "Do Technology Shocks Lower Hours Worked? Evidence from the Japan Industrial Productivity Database," Discussion papers 13018, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    7. Domenico J. Marchetti & Francesco Nucci, 2007. "Pricing Behavior and the Response of Hours to Productivity Shocks," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 39(7), pages 1587-1611, October.
    8. Ugo Albertazzi & Domenico J. Marchetti, 2010. "Credit supply, flight to quality and evergreening: an analysis of bank-firm relationships after Lehman," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 756, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    9. Ali, Syed Zahid & Qureshi, Irfan A., 2021. "Anticipated versus unanticipated productivity shocks and hours-worked," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 547-572.
    10. Fuss, Catherine & Wintr, Ladislav, 2009. "Rigid labour compensation and flexible employment? Firm-level evidence with regard to productivity for Belgium," Working Paper Series 1021, European Central Bank.

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    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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