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The effects of age and job protection on the welfare costs of inflation and unemployment

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  • Becchetti, Leonardo
  • Castriota, Stefano
  • Giuntella, Giovanni Osea

Abstract

We extend the happiness literature on the welfare costs of inflation and unemployment by looking at age and job market characteristics. Our findings show that the relative welfare cost of unemployment versus inflation is higher than one, and much higher in intermediate age cohorts and in low job protection countries. The potential role of our findings in explaining the heterogeneous behaviour of CBs under different job market settings is discussed and compared with alternative explanations based on other institutional or structural differences in economies and in their reactions to shocks.

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  • Becchetti, Leonardo & Castriota, Stefano & Giuntella, Giovanni Osea, 2010. "The effects of age and job protection on the welfare costs of inflation and unemployment," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 26(1), pages 137-146, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:poleco:v:26:y:2010:i:1:p:137-146
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    Cited by:

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    2. Leonardo Becchetti & Alessandra Pelloni, 2013. "What are we learning from the life satisfaction literature?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 60(2), pages 113-155, June.
    3. Claudia Biancotti & Giovanni D'Alessio, 2008. "Values, inequality and happiness," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 669, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    4. Thomas Markussen & Maria Fibæk & Finn Tarp & Nguyen Do Anh Tuan, 2018. "The Happy Farmer: Self-Employment and Subjective Well-Being in Rural Vietnam," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(6), pages 1613-1636, August.
    5. Odermatt, Reto & Stutzer, Alois, 2017. "Subjective Well-Being and Public Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 11102, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    6. Biancotti, Claudia & D'Alessio, Giovanni, 2007. "Inequality and Happiness," AICCON Working Papers 45-2007, Associazione Italiana per la Cultura della Cooperazione e del Non Profit.
    7. Stracca, Livio, 2014. "Financial imbalances and household welfare: Empirical evidence from the EU," Journal of Financial Stability, Elsevier, vol. 11(C), pages 82-91.
    8. Josefa Ramoni-Perazzi & Giampaolo Orlandoni-Merli, 2013. "El índice de miseria corregido por informalidad: una aplicación al caso de Venezuela," Revista Ecos de Economía, Universidad EAFIT, December.
    9. Alberto Prati, 2024. "The Well‐Being Cost of Inflation Inequalities," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 70(1), pages 213-238, March.
    10. Malte Hübner & Marcus Klemm, 2015. "Preferences over inflation and unemployment in Europe: a north–south divide?," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 62(4), pages 319-335, December.
    11. Rafael Di Tella & Robert MacCulloch, 2007. "Happiness, Contentment and Other Emotions for Central Banks," NBER Working Papers 13622, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    12. Gregor Gonza & Anže Burger, 2017. "Subjective Well-Being During the 2008 Economic Crisis: Identification of Mediating and Moderating Factors," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 18(6), pages 1763-1797, December.

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