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Why is Unemployment so Countercyclical?

Author

Listed:
  • Lawrence J. Christiano
  • Martin S. Eichenbaum
  • Mathias Trabandt

Abstract

We argue that wage inertia plays a pivotal role in allowing empirically plausible variants of the standard search and matching model to account for the large countercyclical response of unemployment to shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Lawrence J. Christiano & Martin S. Eichenbaum & Mathias Trabandt, 2020. "Why is Unemployment so Countercyclical?," NBER Working Papers 26723, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:26723
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    5. Christiano, Lawrence J. & Trabandt, Mathias & Walentin, Karl, 2011. "Introducing financial frictions and unemployment into a small open economy model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 1999-2041.
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    Cited by:

    1. Leonardo Melosi & Giorgio Primiceri & Andrea Tambalotti, 2021. "Introduction to the Special Issue in Memory of Alejandro Justiniano," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 41, pages 1-3, July.
    2. Merkl, Christian & Stüber, Heiko, 2024. "Wage and employment cyclicalities at the establishment level," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 161(C).
    3. Bingsong Wang, 2023. "The fundamental surplus revisited," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 51, pages 1-15, December.
    4. Bruce Fallick & Michael Lettau & William L. Wascher, 2016. "Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity in the United States during and after the Great Recession," Working Papers (Old Series) 1602, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
    5. Lars Ljungqvist & Thomas Sargent, 2021. "The fundamental surplus strikes again," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 41, pages 38-51, July.
    6. Matthew Knowles & Mario Lupoli, 2023. "The Nash Wage Elasticity and its Business Cycle Implications," ECONtribute Discussion Papers Series 240, University of Bonn and University of Cologne, Germany.
    7. Kokonas, Nikolaos & Monteiro, Paulo Santos, 2021. "Aggregation in economies with search frictions," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    8. Guido Menzio, 2023. "Stubborn Beliefs in Search Equilibrium," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 37(1), pages 239-297.
    9. Fallick, Bruce & Villar, Daniel & Wascher, William, 2022. "Downward nominal wage rigidity in the United States in times of economic distress and low inflation," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 78(C).

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    JEL classification:

    • E0 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General

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