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Is hysteresis important for U.S. unemployment?

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Abstract

We look for evidence of \"hysteresis\" in the U.S. unemployment rate - that is, that current labor market outcomes affect the future equilibrium level of the unemployment rate. We first examine (using a variety of econometric tests for unit roots) whether the unemployment rate tends to come back to a long-run average over time. On balance, our results suggest that the unemployment rate tends to return to a long-run value, ruling out the possibility of permanent hysteresis. We look for evidence of temporary hysteresis by examining whether lagged unemployment enters a standard Phillips-curve model of U.S. inflation. We find week evidence in support of temporary hysteresis, but the effect is not large, suggesting that hysteresis is not very important for U.S. unemployment.

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  • Norman J. Morin & John M. Roberts, 1999. "Is hysteresis important for U.S. unemployment?," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 1999-56, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:1999-56
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    Cited by:

    1. Eric Heyer & Hervé Le Bihan & Frédéric Lerais, 2000. "Relation de Phillips, boucle prix-salaire : une estimation par la méthode de Johansen," Économie et Prévision, Programme National Persée, vol. 146(5), pages 43-60.
    2. Mariam Camarero & Josep Lluís Carrion-i-Silvestre & Cecilio Tamarit, 2004. "Testing for hysteresis in unemployment in OECD countries. New evidence using stationarity panel tests with breaks†," Economic Working Papers at Centro de Estudios Andaluces 2004/40, Centro de Estudios Andaluces.
    3. T. D. Stanley, 2004. "Does unemployment hysteresis falsify the natural rate hypothesis? a meta‐regression analysis," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(4), pages 589-612, September.
    4. Clemente, Jesus & Lanaspa, Luis & Montanes, Antonio, 2005. "The unemployment structure of the US states," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-5), pages 848-868, September.
    5. Christian Dreger & Hans-Eggert Reimers, 2009. "Hysteresis in the development of unemployment: the EU and US experience," Spanish Economic Review, Springer;Spanish Economic Association, vol. 11(4), pages 267-276, December.
    6. Hideo Hayakawa & Hiroshi Ugai, 2001. "Why did prices in Japan hardly decline during the 1997-98 recession?," BIS Papers chapters, in: Bank for International Settlements (ed.), Empirical studies of structural changes and inflation, volume 3, pages 139-173, Bank for International Settlements.
    7. Charles A. Fleischman & Joshua H. Gallin, 2001. "Employment persistence," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2001-25, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    8. Camarero, Mariam & Tamarit, Cecilio, 2004. "Hysteresis vs. natural rate of unemployment: new evidence for OECD countries," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 84(3), pages 413-417, September.
    9. Ifedolapo Olabisi Olanipekun & Seyi Saint Akadiri & Osundina Olawumi & Festus Victor Bekun, 2017. "Does Labor Market Hysteresis Hold in Low Income Countries?," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 7(1), pages 19-23.
    10. Lawrence Huiyan Zhang, 2001. "Sacrifice Ratios with Long-Lived Effects," Economics Working Paper Archive 446, The Johns Hopkins University,Department of Economics.

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    Keywords

    Unemployment; Labor market;

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