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Sticky Wages, Incomplete Pass-Through and Inflation Targeting: What is the Right Index to Target?

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  • Abo-Zaid, Salem

Abstract

This paper studies optimal monetary policy in a small open economy with Inflation Targeting, incomplete pass-through and rigid nominal wages. The paper shows that the right index to target depends on the structure of the individual economy. When wages are fully flexible, the consumer price index (CPI) is better to target given low to moderate levels of pass-through. On the other hand, assuming complete pass-through, economies with relatively high degrees of wage rigidity and wage indexation should either target their CPIs or fully stabilize nominal wages. Also, CPI targeting and nominal wage targeting are superior to targeting the Producer Price Index (DPI) in relatively high degrees of pass-through given that wages are relatively rigid and indexation degrees are high. The results of the paper suggest that, by committing to a common monetary policy in a common-currency area, some countries may not be conducting monetary policy optimally.

Suggested Citation

  • Abo-Zaid, Salem, 2009. "Sticky Wages, Incomplete Pass-Through and Inflation Targeting: What is the Right Index to Target?," MPRA Paper 13177, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:13177
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    Cited by:

    1. Pavel Ciaian & d’Artis Kancs, 2007. "Blue Cards, Blue Prospects?," Journal of Economics and Econometrics, Economics and Econometrics Society, vol. 50(1), pages 1-28.
    2. Ciaian, Pavel & Kancs, d'Artis & Pokrivcak, Jan, 2011. "Comparative Advantages, Transaction Costs and Factor Content in Agricultural Trade: Empirical Evidence from the CEE - Vantaggi comparati, costi di transazione e contenuto dei fattori nel commercio agr," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 64(1), pages 67-101.
    3. Kancs, d'Artis & Kielyte, Julda, 2010. "European Integration and Labour Migration," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 14, November.
    4. Ján POKRIVČÁK & Pavel CIAIAN & d'Artis KANCS, 2011. "Modelling the factor content of agricultural trade," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 57(8), pages 370-383.
    5. Ciaian, Pavel & Kancs, d'Artis, 2011. "Food, energy and environment: Is bioenergy the missing link?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 36(5), pages 571-580, October.
    6. James Anderson, 2001. "Migration, FDI, and the Margins of Trade," EERI Research Paper Series EERI_RP_2001_05, Economics and Econometrics Research Institute (EERI), Brussels.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Optimal Monetary Policy; Incomplete Pass-Through; Sticky Wages; Inflation Targeting; Conumer Price Index; Domestic Price Index;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E4 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange

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