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East German unemployment: the myth of the irrelevant labor market

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  • Christian Merkl
  • Dennis Snower

Abstract

This paper indicates that East Germany's unemployment problem originates primarily in the labor market, caused by the fast wage adjustment after German reunification. We model the resulting labor market "traps" in a search and matching framework, show that they are difficult to overcome, and provide empirical evidence. We argue that under these circumstances, demandside policies are effective mainly when they increase the economy's overall productivity and thereby help overcome the labor market traps.

Suggested Citation

  • Christian Merkl & Dennis Snower, 2008. "East German unemployment: the myth of the irrelevant labor market," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(1), pages 151-165, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:mes:postke:v:31:y:2008:i:1:p:151-165
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    1. Herbert Brücker & Parvati Trübswetter, 2007. "Do the best go west? An analysis of the self-selection of employed East-West migrants in Germany," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 34(4), pages 371-395, September.
    2. Felix Büchel ; Johannes Schwarze, 1994. "Die Migration von Ost- nach Westdeutschland: Absichtserklärung und Realisierung," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 87, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
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    4. Merkl, Christian & Snower, Dennis J., 2008. "Escaping the unemployment trap: The case of East Germany," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 542-556, December.
    5. Büchel, Felix & Schwarze, Johannes, 1994. "Die Migration von Ost- nach Westdeutschland - Absicht und Realisierung : ein sequentielles Probitmodell mit Kontrolle unbeobachteter Heterogenität," Mitteilungen aus der Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt- und Berufsforschung (IAB), Nürnberg [Institute for Employment Research, Nuremberg, Germany], vol. 27(1), pages 43-52.
    6. Dewatripont,Mathias & Hansen,Lars Peter & Turnovsky,Stephen J. (ed.), 2003. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521818742.
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    8. Mathias Dewatripont & Lars Peter Hansen & Stephen Turnovsky, 2003. "Advances in economics and econometrics :theory and applications," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/9557, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    9. Dennis J. Snower & Christian Merkl, 2006. "The Caring Hand that Cripples: The East German Labor Market after Reunification," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 96(2), pages 375-382, May.
    10. Lechthaler, Wolfgang & Merkl, Christian & Snower, Dennis J., 2010. "Monetary persistence and the labor market: A new perspective," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 968-983, May.
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    16. Lehmann, Harald & Ludwig, Udo & Ragnitz, Joachim, 2005. "Originäre Wirtschaftskraft der neuen Länder noch schwächer als bislang angenommen," Wirtschaft im Wandel, Halle Institute for Economic Research (IWH), vol. 11(5), pages 134-145.
    17. Burda, Michael C., 1993. "The determinants of East-West German migration: Some first results," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 37(2-3), pages 452-461, April.
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    19. Dewatripont,Mathias & Hansen,Lars Peter & Turnovsky,Stephen J. (ed.), 2003. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521818735.
    20. Michael C. Burda & Wolfgang Härdle & Marlene Müller & Axel Werwatz, 1998. "Semiparametric analysis of German East-West migration intentions: facts and theory," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(5), pages 525-541.
    21. Michael C. Burda & Jennifer Hunt, 2001. "From Reunification to Economic Integration: Productivity and the Labor Market in Eastern Germany," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 32(2), pages 1-92.
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    Cited by:

    1. Witkowska Dorota, 2016. "Comparison of Women’s Situation in the Labour Market in the Former GDR and Poland," Comparative Economic Research, Sciendo, vol. 19(2), pages 129-148, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    East Germany; labor market trap; unemployment;
    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
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • P2 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist and Transition Economies

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