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Identifying inflation's grease and sand effects in the labor market

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  • Erica L. Groshen
  • Mark E. Schweitzer

Abstract

An effort to distinguish inflations distortionary effects from its facilitation of adjustments to shocks when wages are rigid downward. It uses the following identification strategy: inflation-induced deviations among employers mean wage changes represent unintended intramarket distortions (sand), while inflation-induced, interoccupational wage changes reflect adjustments that might have been prevented by nominal wage rigidity (grease).

Suggested Citation

  • Erica L. Groshen & Mark E. Schweitzer, 1997. "Identifying inflation's grease and sand effects in the labor market," Working Papers (Old Series) 9705, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedcwp:9705
    DOI: 10.26509/frbc-wp-199705
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inflation (Finance); Wages;

    JEL classification:

    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials

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