IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/tin/wpaper/19980089.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Empirical Inference with Equilibrium Search Models of the Labor Market

Author

Listed:
  • Gerard J. van den Berg

    (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam)

Abstract

This paper examines the use of equilibrium search models in the empiricalanalysis of labor markets. We survey the literature on structural estimationof these models with micro data on wages and durations, and we discuss theadvantages of the equilibrium approach, for policy analysis and forunderstanding a number of stylized facts that are hard to explain otherwise.During the past years, substantial progress has been made in terms of theexplanatory power of these models. We finish with a critical examination ofthe extent to which the approach can be fruitfully applied to (matchedworker-)firm data.

Suggested Citation

  • Gerard J. van den Berg, 1998. "Empirical Inference with Equilibrium Search Models of the Labor Market," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 98-089/3, Tinbergen Institute.
  • Handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:19980089
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://papers.tinbergen.nl/98089.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zvi Eckstein & Kenneth I. Wolpin, 1995. "Duration to First Job and the Return to Schooling: Estimates from a Search-Matching Model," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(2), pages 263-286.
    2. Eckstein, Z. & Wolpin, K.I., 1995. "Estimating the Effect of Labor Market Discrimination on Black-White Differences in Wage Offers Using a Search- Matching-Bargaining Model," Papers 24-95, Tel Aviv - the Sackler Institute of Economic Studies.
    3. Bowlus, Audra J, 1997. "A Search Interpretation of Male-Female Wage Differentials," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 15(4), pages 625-657, October.
    4. Layard, Richard & Nickell, Stephen & Jackman, Richard, 2005. "Unemployment: Macroeconomic Performance and the Labour Market," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199279173.
    5. Joop Hartog & Hans Van Ophem, 1991. "Wages and Measurement Errors," Annals of Economics and Statistics, GENES, issue 20-21, pages 243-256.
    6. Mortensen, D. T. & Vishwanath, T., 1995. "Personal contacts and earnings: It is who you know!," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(1), pages 103-104, March.
    7. Gerard J. van den Berg, 1990. "Nonstationarity in Job Search Theory," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(2), pages 255-277.
    8. van den Berg, Gerard J, 1990. "Search Behaviour, Transitions to Nonparticipation and the Duration of Unemployment," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 100(402), pages 842-865, September.
    9. Kreps,David M. & Wallis,Kenneth F. (ed.), 1997. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics: Theory and Applications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521580137, June.
    10. C, Bontemps & Jean-Marc Robin & G, Van Den Berg, 1997. "Equilibrium Search with Productivity Dispersion : Theory and Estimation," Working Papers 97-09, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    11. Blau, David M. & Robins, Philip K., 1986. "Job search, wage offers, and unemployment insurance," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 29(2), pages 173-197, March.
    12. van Ours, J. C. & Pfann, G. & Ridder, G., 1993. "Labour Demand and Equilibrium Wage Formation," Other publications TiSEM 185853c8-e889-4b3c-8f62-5, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    13. van den Berg, Gerard J, 1992. "A Structural Dynamic Analysis of Job Turnover and the Costs Associated with Moving to Another Job," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 102(414), pages 1116-1133, September.
    14. repec:adr:anecst:y:1991:i:20-21:p:11 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Atkinson, Anthony B & Micklewright, John, 1991. "Unemployment Compensation and Labor Market Transitions: A Critical Review," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 29(4), pages 1679-1727, December.
    16. H. Bunzel & Bent Jesper Christensen & Peter Jensen & Nicholas Kiefer & L. Korsholm & L. Muus & G. R. Neumann & Michael Rosholm, 2001. "Specification and Estimation of Equilibrium Search Models," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(1), pages 90-126, January.
    17. Richard D. MacMinn, 1980. "Job Search and the Labor Dropout Problem Reconsidered," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 95(1), pages 69-87.
    18. Albrecht, James W & Axell, Bo, 1984. "An Equilibrium Model of Search Unemployment," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 92(5), pages 824-840, October.
    19. Kreps,David M. & Wallis,Kenneth F. (ed.), 1997. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics: Theory and Applications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521589833, September.
    20. Yoon, Bong Joon, 1981. "A Model of Unemployment Duration with Variable Search Intensity," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 63(4), pages 599-609, November.
    21. Jean-Marc Robin & Sébastien Roux_, 1998. "Random or Balanced Matching : An Equilibrium Search Model with Endogenous Capital and Two-Sided Search," Working Papers 98-38, Center for Research in Economics and Statistics.
    22. Blau, David M, 1991. "Search for Nonwage Job Characteristics: A Test of the Reservation Wage Hypothesis," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 9(2), pages 186-205, April.
    23. Gerard J. van den Berg & Geert Ridder, 1998. "An Empirical Equilibrium Search Model of the Labor Market," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 66(5), pages 1183-1222, September.
    24. Bontemps, Christian & Robin, Jean-Marc & Berg, Gerard J. van den, 1998. "An empirical equilibrium job search model with continuously distributed heterogeneity of workers' opportunity costs of employment and firms productivities, and search on the job," Serie Research Memoranda 0002, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    25. Bowlus, Audra J & Kiefer, Nicholas M & Neumann, George R, 1995. "Estimation of Equilibrium Wage Distributions with Heterogeneity," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(S), pages 119-131, Suppl. De.
    26. Devine, Theresa J. & Kiefer, Nicolas M., 1991. "Empirical Labor Economics: The Search Approach," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780195059366.
    27. Kreps,David M. & Wallis,Kenneth F. (ed.), 1997. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics: Theory and Applications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521589819, September.
    28. Alan Manning, 1993. "Endogenous Labour Market Segmentation in a Matching Model," CEP Discussion Papers dp0126, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    29. Lancaster, Tony & Chesher, Andrew, 1983. "An Econometric Analysis of Reservation Wages," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(6), pages 1661-1676, November.
    30. Bonnal, L. & Fougere, D., 1992. "Estimating the Structural Effect on the Unemployment Benefit of Job Search Cost," Papers 92.267, Toulouse - GREMAQ.
    31. Koning, Pierre & Ridder, Geert & van den Berg, Gerard J, 1995. "Structural and Frictional Unemployment in an Equilibrium Search Model with Heterogeneous Agents," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 10(S), pages 133-151, Suppl. De.
    32. Robert H. Topel & Michael P. Ward, 1992. "Job Mobility and the Careers of Young Men," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 107(2), pages 439-479.
    33. Burdett, Kenneth & Mortensen, Dale T, 1998. "Wage Differentials, Employer Size, and Unemployment," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 39(2), pages 257-273, May.
    34. Pierre Koning & Gerard J. Van Den Berg & Geert Ridder, 2000. "Semi‐Nonparametric Estimation of an Equilibrium Search Model," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 62(3), pages 327-356, July.
    35. Diamond, Peter A., 1971. "A model of price adjustment," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 156-168, June.
    36. Carl Davidson, 1990. "Recent Developments in the Theory of Involuntary Unemployment," Books from Upjohn Press, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, number rdtiu, December.
    37. Audra J. Bowlus, 1998. "U.S.-Canadian Unemployment and Wage Differences Among Young Low-Skilled Males in the 1980s," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 31(2), pages 437-464, May.
    38. Koning, Pierre & Berg, Gerard J. van den & Ridder, Geert, 1997. "A structural analysis of job search methods and subsequent wages," Serie Research Memoranda 0036, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    39. Kreps,David M. & Wallis,Kenneth F. (ed.), 1997. "Advances in Economics and Econometrics: Theory and Applications," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521589826, September.
    40. Flinn, C. & Heckman, J., 1982. "New methods for analyzing structural models of labor force dynamics," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 115-168, January.
    41. Bound, John & Brown, Charles & Duncan, Greg J & Rodgers, Willard L, 1994. "Evidence on the Validity of Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Labor Market Data," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 12(3), pages 345-368, July.
    42. Narendranathan, Wiji & Nickell, Stephen, 1985. "Modelling the process of job search," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 29-49, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Eckstein, Zwi & van den Berg, Gerard J, 2003. "Empircial labor search models: A survey," Working Paper Series 2003:18, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    2. Eckstein, Zvi & van den Berg, Gerard J., 2007. "Empirical labor search: A survey," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 136(2), pages 531-564, February.
    3. Gerard J. van den Berg, 2003. "Multiple Equilibria and Minimum Wages in Labor Markets with Informational Frictions and Heterogeneous Production Technologies," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 44(4), pages 1337-1357, November.
    4. Aico Van Vuuren & Gerard J. Van Den Berg & Geert Ridder, 2000. "Measuring the equilibrium effects of unemployment benefits dispersion," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(6), pages 547-574.
    5. J. Ignacio Garcia-Perez, 2002. "Equilibrium search models: the role of the assumptions," Investigaciones Economicas, Fundación SEPI, vol. 26(2), pages 255-284, May.
    6. Bontemps, Christian & Robin, Jean-Marc & Berg, Gerard J. van den, 1998. "An empirical equilibrium job search model with continuously distributed heterogeneity of workers' opportunity costs of employment and firms productivities, and search on the job," Serie Research Memoranda 0002, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    7. van den Berg, Gerard J. & van Vuuren, Aico, 2010. "The effect of search frictions on wages," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 17(6), pages 875-885, December.
    8. Koning, Pierre & Berg, Gerard J. van den & Ridder, Geert, 1997. "A structural analysis of job search methods and subsequent wages," Serie Research Memoranda 0036, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    9. Fougère, Denis & Pradel, Jacqueline & Roger, Muriel, 2009. "Does the public employment service affect search effort and outcomes?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 53(7), pages 846-869, October.
    10. Keane, Michael P. & Todd, Petra E. & Wolpin, Kenneth I., 2011. "The Structural Estimation of Behavioral Models: Discrete Choice Dynamic Programming Methods and Applications," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 4, chapter 4, pages 331-461, Elsevier.
    11. Christopher A. Pissarides & Barbara Petrongolo, 2001. "Looking into the Black Box: A Survey of the Matching Function," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 39(2), pages 390-431, June.
    12. Tomi Kyyrä, 2007. "Estimating Equilibrium Search Models from Finnish Data," Finnish Economic Papers, Finnish Economic Association, vol. 20(2), pages 139-165, Autumn.
    13. Giovanni Sulis, 2008. "Wage Dispersion and Equilibrium Search Models: Some Evidence from Italy," LABOUR, CEIS, vol. 22(4), pages 593-627, December.
    14. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2567-2627 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Ridder, Geert & van den Berg, Gerard J., 2002. "A cross-country comparison of labor market frictions," Working Paper Series 2002:22, IFAU - Institute for Evaluation of Labour Market and Education Policy.
    16. van den Berg, Gerard J., 1995. "Explicit expressions for the reservation wage path and the unemployment duration density in nonstationary job search models," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 187-198, June.
    17. Rosholm, Michael & Svarer, Michael, 2004. "Endogenous wage dispersion in a search-matching model," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 11(5), pages 623-645, October.
    18. Ridder, G. & Visser, N. de & Berg, G.J. van den, 1996. "Structural aspects of the labor markets of five OECD countries," Serie Research Memoranda 0046, VU University Amsterdam, Faculty of Economics, Business Administration and Econometrics.
    19. Koop, Gary, 2001. "Bayesian inference in models based on equilibrium search theory," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 102(2), pages 311-338, June.
    20. Braun, Christine & Engelhardt, Bryan & Griffy, Benjamin & Rupert, Peter, 2020. "Testing the independence of job arrival rates and wage offers," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    21. Geert Ridder & Gerard J. van den Berg, 2003. "Measuring Labor Market Frictions: A Cross-Country Comparison," Journal of the European Economic Association, MIT Press, vol. 1(1), pages 224-244, March.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:tin:wpaper:19980089. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Tinbergen Office +31 (0)10-4088900 (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/tinbenl.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.