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Taxes, Benefits, and Careers: Complete Versus Incomplete Markets

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  • Sargent, Thomas
  • Ljungqvist, Lars

Abstract

An incomplete markets life-cycle model with indivisible labour makes career lengths and human capital accumulation respond to labour tax rates and government supplied non-employment benefits. We compare aggregate and individual outcomes in this individualistic incomplete markets model with those in a comparable collectivist representative family with employment lotteries and complete insurance markets. The incomplete and complete market structures assign leisure to different types of individuals who are distinguished by their human capital and age. These microeconomic differences distinguish the two models in terms of how macroeconomic aggregates respond to some types of government supplied non-employment benefits, but remarkably, not to labor tax changes.

Suggested Citation

  • Sargent, Thomas & Ljungqvist, Lars, 2007. "Taxes, Benefits, and Careers: Complete Versus Incomplete Markets," CEPR Discussion Papers 6560, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:6560
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    Cited by:

    1. Kokonas, Nikolaos & Monteiro, Paulo Santos, 2021. "Aggregation in economies with search frictions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    2. Krusell, Per & Mukoyama, Toshihiko & Rogerson, Richard & Sahin, Aysegül, 2008. "Aggregate implications of indivisible labor, incomplete markets, and labor market frictions," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(5), pages 961-979, July.
    3. Fève, Patrick & Matheron, Julien & Sahuc, Jean-Guillaume, 2012. "The Laffer Curve in an Incomplete-Market Economy," TSE Working Papers 12-288, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Jul 2013.
    4. Tomaz Cajner & İlhan Güner & Toshihiko Mukoyama, 2025. "Gross Worker Flows over the Life Cycle," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 57(4), pages 757-791, June.
    5. Michau, Jean-Baptiste, 2014. "Optimal redistribution: A life-cycle perspective," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 111(C), pages 1-16.
    6. Holter, Hans A. & Ljungqvist, Lars & Sargent, Thomas J. & Stepanchuk, Serhiy, 2025. "Singles, couples, time-averaging, and taxation," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 150(C).
    7. Krusell, Per & Mukoyama, Toshihiko & Rogerson, Richard & Sahin, Aysegül, 2011. "A three state model of worker flows in general equilibrium," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 146(3), pages 1107-1133, May.
    8. Been-Lon Chen & Mei Hsu & Chih-Fang Lai, 2015. "Relative Effects of Labour Taxes and Unemployment Benefits on Hours Worked Per Worker and Employment," Pacific Economic Review, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 282-309, May.
    9. Ljungqvist, Lars & Sargent, Thomas J., 2007. "Understanding European unemployment with a representative family model," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 54(8), pages 2180-2204, November.
    10. Alonso-Ortiz, Jorge & Rogerson, Richard, 2010. "Taxes, transfers and employment in an incomplete markets model," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 57(8), pages 949-958, November.
    11. Minchul Yum, 2018. "On the distribution of wealth and employment," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 30, pages 86-105, October.

    More about this item

    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • J21 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Force and Employment, Size, and Structure
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies

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