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A Signaling Theory of Unemployment

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  • Albert Ma, C.T.
  • Weiss, A.M.

Abstract

This paper presents a signaling explanation for unemployment. The basic idea is that employment at an unskilled job may be regarded as a bad signal. Therefore, good workers who are more likely to qualify for employment at a skilled job in the future are better off being unemployed than accepting an unskilled job. We present conditions under which all equilibria satisfying the Cho-Kreps intuitive criterion involve unemployment. However, there always exist budget balancing wage subsidies and taxes that eliminate unemployment. Also, for any unemployment equilibrium, either there always exists a set of Pareto improving wage taxes and subsidies, or we give conditions under which there exists a set of Pareto improving wage taxes and subsidies.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Albert Ma, C.T. & Weiss, A.M., 1991. "A Signaling Theory of Unemployment," Papers 7, Boston University - Department of Economics.
  • Handle: RePEc:fth:bostec:7
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    Keywords

    labour market ; unemployment;

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