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Awareness of General Equilibrium Effects and Unemployment

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  • Gersbach, Hans
  • Schniewind, Achim

Abstract

We examine wage bargaining in a two-sector economy when the employers and labour unions in each sector are not always aware of all the general equilibrium feedback effects. We show analytically that if agents only consider labour demand effects, low real wages and low unemployment are the result. With an intermediate view, i.e. when partial equilibrium effects within a sector are taken into account, high real wages and unemployment result. If all general equilibrium effects are simultaneously considered, we once again obtain a situation of low wages and unemployment. The assumption that unions and employers' federations are unable to incorporate all feedback effects from other sectors may explain why unemployment in Europe is high.

Suggested Citation

  • Gersbach, Hans & Schniewind, Achim, 2005. "Awareness of General Equilibrium Effects and Unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 5012, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:5012
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. D. Boccanfuso & L. Savard, 2012. "A Segmented Labour Supply Model Estimation for the Construction of a CGE Microsimulation Model: An Application to the Philippines," Margin: The Journal of Applied Economic Research, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 6(2), pages 211-234, May.
    2. Schettkat, Ronald & Yocarini, Lara, 2001. "Education Driving the Rise in Dutch Female Employment: Explanations for the Increase in Part-time Work and Female Employment in the Netherlands, Contrasted with Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 407, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    3. repec:zbw:rwidps:0035 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Saint-Paul, Gilles, 2007. "Making sense of Bolkestein-bashing: Trade liberalization under segmented labor markets," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(1), pages 152-174, September.
    5. Gersbach, Hans & Schniewind, Achim, 2008. "Imperfect competition, general equilibrium and unemployment," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 32(5), pages 1381-1398, May.
    6. Axel Dreher & Lars-H.R. Siemers, 2003. "The Intriguing Nexus Between Corruption and Capital Account Restrictions," Development and Comp Systems 0306004, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 07 Jul 2005.
    7. Lars Siemers & Axel Dreher, 2005. "The Intriguing Nexus between Corruption and Capital Account Restrictions," RWI Discussion Papers 0035, Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung.
    8. Seppo Honkapohja & Frank Westermann, 2009. "Labour Market Reform in Europe," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Seppo Honkapohja & Frank Westermann (ed.), Designing the European Model, chapter 2, pages 61-81, Palgrave Macmillan.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Sectoral wage bargaining; Awareness of general equilibirum effects; Unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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