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Labour market reform and the sustainability of exchange rate pegs

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Author Info
Olli Castrén () (DG Economics, European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, D-60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.)
Tuomas Takalo () (Research Department, Bank of Finland, P.O. Box 160, Fin-00101 Helsinki, Finland.)
Geoffrey Wood () (Cass Business School, City University, 106 Bunhill Row, London EC7 8TZ, United Kingdom.)

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Abstract

It is commonly thought that an open economy can accommodate output shocks through either exchange rate or real sector adjustments. We formalise this notion by incorporating labour market rigidities into an “escape clause” model of currency crises. We show that the absence of structural reform makes a currency peg more fragile and undermines the credibility of the monetary authority in a dynamic setting. The fragility is captured by a devaluation premium in expectations that increases the average inflation rate when the currency peg is more vulnerable to “busts” than “booms”. This interaction between macroeconomic and microeconomic rigidities suggests that a policy reform can only be consistent if it renders either exchange rates or labour markets flexible.

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Paper provided by European Central Bank in its series Working Paper Series with number 406.

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Length: 39 pages
Date of creation: Nov 2004
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Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20040406

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Related research
Keywords: Exchange rate policy; labour market flexibility; structural reform.;

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
F33 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Monetary Arrangements and Institutions
D84 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Expectations; Speculations

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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.:
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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. Suvanto , Antti & Hukkinen , Juhana, 2004. "Stable price level and changing prices," Research Discussion Papers 28/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
  2. Hyytinen, Ari & Takalo , Tuomas, 2004. "Multihoming in the market for payment media: evidence from young Finnish consumers," Research Discussion Papers 25/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Puhakka, Mikko, 2004. "Equilibrium dynamics under lump-sum taxation in an exchange economy with skewed endowments," Research Discussion Papers 29/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
  4. Mikko Puhakka, 2005. "Equilibrium dynamics under lump-sum taxation in an exchange economy with skewed endowments," Macroeconomics 0508033, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  5. Leitemo, Kai & Söderström , Ulf, 2004. "Robust monetary policy in the New-Keynesian framework," Research Discussion Papers 31/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Antti Suvanto & Juhana Hukkinen, 2005. "Stable price level and changing prices," Macroeconomics 0508034, EconWPA. [Downloadable!]
  7. Jokivuolle , Esa & Lanne , Markku, 2004. "Trading Nokia: The roles of the Helsinki vs the New York stock exchanges," Research Discussion Papers 26/2004, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
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