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Labor Selection, Turnover Costs, and Optimal Monetary Policy

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  • ESTER FAIA
  • WOLFGANG LECHTHALER
  • CHRISTIAN MERKL

Abstract

We study optimal monetary policy and welfare properties of a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with a labor selection process, labor turnover costs, and Nash bargained wages. We show that our model implies inefficiencies that cannot be offset in a standard wage bargaining regime. We also show that the inefficiencies rise with the magnitude of firing costs. As a result, in the optimal Ramsey plan, the optimal inflation volatility deviates from zero and is an increasing function of firing costs.

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  • Ester Faia & Wolfgang Lechthaler & Christian Merkl, 2014. "Labor Selection, Turnover Costs, and Optimal Monetary Policy," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 46(1), pages 115-144, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:jmoncb:v:46:y:2014:i:1:p:115-144
    DOI: 10.1111/jmcb.12099
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    Cited by:

    1. Chugh, Sanjay K. & Lechthaler, Wolfgang & Merkl, Christian, 2018. "Optimal fiscal policy with labor selection," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 142-189.
    2. Annicchiarico, Barbara & Pelloni, Alessandra, 2021. "Innovation, Growth, And Optimal Monetary Policy," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(5), pages 1175-1198, July.
    3. Sanjay K. Chugh & Christian Merkl, 2016. "Efficiency And Labor Market Dynamics In A Model Of Labor Selection," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 57(4), pages 1371-1404, November.
    4. Clerc, Pierrick, 2018. "Alternating offers with asymmetric information and the unemployment volatility puzzle," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 87-91.
    5. Anthony M. Diercks, 2015. "The Equity Premium, Long-Run Risk, & Optimal Monetary Policy," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-87, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    6. Pierrick Clerc, 2021. "The Dynamics of Unemployment and Inflation in New Keynesian Models with Two Labor Margins," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(2-3), pages 301-332, March.
    7. Anthony Diercks, 2016. "The Equity Premium, Long-Run Risk, and Optimal Monetary Policy," 2016 Meeting Papers 207, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    8. Kohlbrecher, Britta, 2019. "The (ir)relevance of real wage rigidity for optimal monetary policy," FAU Discussion Papers in Economics 07/2019, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Institute for Economics.
    9. Lechthaler, Wolfgang & Tesfaselassie, Mewael, 2015. "Trend growth, unemployment and optimal monetary policy," Kiel Working Papers 2003, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    10. Ismail Baydur, 2017. "Worker Selection, Hiring, and Vacancies," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 9(1), pages 88-127, January.
    11. Anna Kosior & Michał Rubaszek & Kamil Wierus, 2015. "On the importance of the dual labour market for a country within a monetary union," NBP Working Papers 207, Narodowy Bank Polski.
    12. Kohlbrecher, Britta, 2016. "Optimal Monetary Policy under Rigid Wages and Decreasing Returns," VfS Annual Conference 2016 (Augsburg): Demographic Change 145867, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    13. Ester Faia, 2017. "Competitiveness, labor market institutions, and monetary policy," IZA World of Labor, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA), pages 383-383, August.

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    JEL classification:

    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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