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Alternating offers with asymmetric information and the unemployment volatility puzzle

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  • Clerc, Pierrick

Abstract

To provide micro-founded real wage rigidities, the literature on the unemployment volatility puzzle has considered alternating offers on one side, and asymmetric information on the other. Separately, however, these two frameworks deliver a limited amount of wage stickiness and thus require questionable calibrations to raise unemployment fluctuations. In this paper, we argue that the alternating offers model with one-sided asymmetric information, which combines the two frameworks, gives a more satisfactory answer to the puzzle. The results are improved along two dimensions. First, we show that this model is capable to generate large unemployment movements for a realistic calibration. Secondly, the model produces a right degree of real wage pro-cyclicality for such a calibration and therefore delivers a micro-founded explanation to real wage rigidities.

Suggested Citation

  • Clerc, Pierrick, 2018. "Alternating offers with asymmetric information and the unemployment volatility puzzle," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 87-91.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:labeco:v:50:y:2018:i:c:p:87-91
    DOI: 10.1016/j.labeco.2017.08.001
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment and vacancies volatility; Wage bargaining; Wage rigidity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics
    • J63 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Turnover; Vacancies; Layoffs
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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