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Price Dynamics and Production Lags

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  • Dennis J. Snower
  • Assar Lindbeck

Abstract

This paper provides a new explanation of why inflation is sluggish in response to aggregate demand shocks and why aggregate output changes as result of such shocks. We argue that these phenomena are related to lags between inputs and outputs in the production process, "production lags" for short. The broad intuition is that production activities in a modern economy are interconnected through complex input-output relations, with production lags within individual firms, and that it takes considerable time for cost and price changes to penetrate the entire input-output system. Our analysis provides a rationale for a prolonged inverse relation between inflation and unemployment. The paper suggests that the interaction of inflation persistence and unemployment persistence may offer a possible explanation of high and prolonged European unemployment.
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Suggested Citation

  • Dennis J. Snower & Assar Lindbeck, 1999. "Price Dynamics and Production Lags," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(2), pages 81-88, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:aea:aecrev:v:89:y:1999:i:2:p:81-88
    Note: DOI: 10.1257/aer.89.2.81
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Karanassou, Marika & Sala, Hector & Snower, Dennis J., 2005. "A reappraisal of the inflation-unemployment tradeoff," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 1-32, March.
    2. Karanassou, Marika & Sala, Hector & Snower, Dennis J., 2008. "Long-run inflation-unemployment dynamics: The Spanish Phillips curve and economic policy," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 279-300.
    3. Kevin X. D. Huang & Zheng Liu, 1999. "Chain of Production as a Monetary Propagation Mechanism," Cahiers de recherche CREFE / CREFE Working Papers 106, CREFE, Université du Québec à Montréal.
    4. Kevin X. D. Huang & Zheng Liu, 2001. "Input-Output Structure and Nominal Staggering: The Persistence Problem Revisited," Cahiers de recherche CREFE / CREFE Working Papers 145, CREFE, Université du Québec à Montréal.
    5. Karanassou, Marika & Sala, Hector & Snower, Dennis J., 2003. "The European Phillips Curve: Does the NAIRU Exist?," IZA Discussion Papers 876, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Karanassou, Marika & Sala, Hector & Snower, Dennis J., 2008. "Long-run inflation-unemployment dynamics: The Spanish Phillips curve and economic policy," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 30(2), pages 279-300.
    7. Schreiber, Sven & Wolters, Jurgen, 2007. "The long-run Phillips curve revisited: Is the NAIRU framework data-consistent?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 355-367, June.
    8. Karanassou, Marika & Sala, Hector & Snower, Dennis J., 2005. "A reappraisal of the inflation-unemployment tradeoff," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(1), pages 1-32, March.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E23 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Production

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