IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/aeb/wpaper/201503y2015.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Liberalization of product and labour markets: Winners and losers

Author

Listed:
  • Panagiota Koliousi

    (Athens University of Economics and Business)

  • Natasha Miaouli

    (Athens University of Economics and Business)

  • Apostolis Philippopoulos

    (Athens University of Economics and Business)

Abstract

This paper studies the implications of higher flexi bility, or liberalization, in product and labour markets. We study both efficiency and distribution implications. The vehicle is a dynamic general equilibrium (DGE) model that incorporates heterogeneous agents (entre preneurs and workers) and imperfectly competitive product and labour markets. The combination of market power in the product market with agents’ heterogeneity influences the political feasibility of structural reforms. The model is solved numerically employing parameter values and fiscal data from the Euro Area. Regarding efficiency, our solutions show that per capita output, as well as per capita welfare, rises when we liberalize one or both markets. Moreover, the net income of both agents rises as we move to a more competitive economy, either in one or both markets. Thus, any form of liberalization,even incomplete, is Pareto superior. The crucial question is then who might gain more from this. Regarding distribution, inequality rises when liberaliza- tion of the labour market only takes place, while it falls when liberalization of the product market only takes place or when both markets become more flexible.

Suggested Citation

  • Panagiota Koliousi & Natasha Miaouli & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2015. "Liberalization of product and labour markets: Winners and losers," Working Papers 201503, Athens University Of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:aeb:wpaper:201503:y:2015
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www2.econ.aueb.gr/uploadfiles/AllDP0315
    File Function: Released version, 2015
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Koskela Erkki & Thadden Leopold von, 2008. "Optimal Factor Taxation under Wage Bargaining: A Dynamic Perspective," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 9(2), pages 135-159, May.
    2. Baxter, Marianne & King, Robert G, 1993. "Fiscal Policy in General Equilibrium," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 315-334, June.
    3. George Economides & Dimitris Papageorgiou & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Vanghelis Vassilatos, 2013. "Smaller Public Sectors in the Euro Area: Aggregate and Distributional Implications," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 59(3), pages 536-558, September.
    4. Ardagna, Silvia, 2007. "Fiscal policy in unionized labor markets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 1498-1534, May.
    5. Mendoza, Enrique G. & Tesar, Linda L., 2005. "Why hasn't tax competition triggered a race to the bottom? Some quantitative lessons from the EU," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(1), pages 163-204, January.
    6. Marco Maffezzoli, 2001. "Non-Walrasian Labor Markets and Real Business Cycles," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 4(4), pages 860-892, October.
    7. Olivier Blanchard & Francesco Giavazzi, 2003. "Macroeconomic Effects of Regulation and Deregulation in Goods and Labor Markets," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 118(3), pages 879-907.
    8. Angelopoulos, Konstantinos & Philippopoulos, Apostolis & Vassilatos, Vanghelis, 2009. "The social cost of rent seeking in Europe," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 25(3), pages 280-299, September.
    9. David Domeij & Jonathan Heathcote, 2004. "On The Distributional Effects Of Reducing Capital Taxes," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 45(2), pages 523-554, May.
    10. Angelopoulos, Konstantinos & Jiang, Wei & Malley, James R., 2013. "Tax reforms under market distortions in product and labour markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 28-42.
    11. Matteo Cacciatore & Romain Duval & Giuseppe Fiori, 2012. "Short-Term Gain or Pain? A DSGE Model-Based Analysis of the Short-Term Effects of Structural Reforms in Labour and Product Markets," OECD Economics Department Working Papers 948, OECD Publishing.
    12. Pissarides, Christopher A., 1998. "The impact of employment tax cuts on unemployment and wages; The role of unemployment benefits and tax structure," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 155-183, January.
    13. King, Robert G. & Rebelo, Sergio T., 1999. "Resuscitating real business cycles," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & M. Woodford (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 14, pages 927-1007, Elsevier.
    14. Olivier Blanchard, 2004. "The Economic Future of Europe," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(4), pages 3-26, Fall.
    15. Eggertsson, Gauti & Ferrero, Andrea & Raffo, Andrea, 2014. "Can structural reforms help Europe?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 2-22.
    16. repec:bla:germec:v:9:y:2008:i::p:135-159 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Christiano, Lawrence J & Eichenbaum, Martin, 1992. "Current Real-Business-Cycle Theories and Aggregate Labor-Market Fluctuations," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 82(3), pages 430-450, June.
    18. Faccini, Renato & Millard, Stephen & Zanetti, Francesco, 2011. "Wage rigidities in an estimated DSGE model of the UK labour market," Bank of England working papers 408, Bank of England.
    19. Kevin J. Lansing, 1998. "Optimal Fiscal Policy in a Business Cycle Model with Public Capital," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 31(2), pages 337-364, May.
    20. Guo, Jang-Ting & Lansing, Kevin J., 1999. "Optimal taxation of capital income with imperfectly competitive product markets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 23(7), pages 967-995, June.
    21. Ardagna, Silvia, 2007. "Fiscal Policy in Unionized Labor Markets," Scholarly Articles 2580048, Harvard University Department of Economics.
    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. Koliousi, Panagiota & Miaouli, Natasha & Philippopoulos, Apostolis, 2017. "Liberalization of product and labor markets: Efficiency and equity implications," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 92-106.
    2. Angelopoulos, Konstantinos & Jiang, Wei & Malley, James R., 2013. "Tax reforms under market distortions in product and labour markets," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 28-42.
    3. Konstantinos Angelopoulos & James R. Malley & Wei Jiang, 2011. "The distributional consequences of tax reforms under market distortions," Working Papers 2011_21, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    4. George Economides & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Petros Varthalitis, 2015. "Incentives to Work and Performance in the Public Sector," CESifo Working Paper Series 5193, CESifo.
    5. Mathias Trabandt & Harald Uhlig, 2006. "How Far Are We From The Slippery Slope? The Laffer Curve Revisited," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2006-023, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.
    6. Vasilev, Aleksandar, 2013. "Cyclical and Welfare Effects of Public Sector Unions in a Real-Business-Cycle Model," SIRE Discussion Papers 2013-83, Scottish Institute for Research in Economics (SIRE).
    7. Vasilev, Aleksandar, 2013. "Essays on Real Business Cycle Modeling and the Public Sector," EconStor Theses, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, number 130522, January.
    8. George Economides & Dimitris Papageorgiou & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2020. "Macroeconomic Policy Lessons for Greece from the Debt Crisis," CESifo Working Paper Series 8188, CESifo.
    9. Wei Jiang, 2014. "Optimal taxation and labour wedge in models with equilibrium unemployment," Studies in Economics 1407, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    10. Trabandt, Mathias & Uhlig, Harald, 2011. "The Laffer curve revisited," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 58(4), pages 305-327.
    11. Dimitris Papageorgiou, 2014. "BoGGEM: a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model for policy simulations," Working Papers 182, Bank of Greece.
    12. Wei Jiang, 2014. "Tax Reforms in Search-and-Matching Models with Heterogeneous Agents," Studies in Economics 1414, School of Economics, University of Kent.
    13. Papageorgiou, Dimitris & Vourvachaki, Evangelia, 2017. "Macroeconomic effects of structural reforms and fiscal consolidations: Trade-offs and complementarities," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 54-73.
    14. Trabandt, Mathias & Uhlig, Harald, 2006. "How far are we from the slippery slope? The Laffer curve revisited," SFB 649 Discussion Papers 2006-023, Humboldt University Berlin, Collaborative Research Center 649: Economic Risk.
    15. Papageorgiou, Dimitris, 2012. "Fiscal policy reforms in general equilibrium: The case of Greece," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 504-522.
    16. George Economides & Dimitris Papageorgiou & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2017. "The driving forces of the current Greek great depression," Working Papers 201703, Athens University Of Economics and Business, Department of Economics.
    17. George Economides & Dimitris Papageorgiou & Apostolis Philippopoulos & Vanghelis Vassilatos, 2013. "Smaller Public Sectors in the Euro Area: Aggregate and Distributional Implications," CESifo Economic Studies, CESifo Group, vol. 59(3), pages 536-558, September.
    18. Sakkas, Stelios & Varthalitis, Petros, 2018. "The (intertemporal) equity-efficiency trade-off of fiscal consolidation," MPRA Paper 90983, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Zanetti, Francesco, 2011. "Labor market institutions and aggregate fluctuations in a search and matching model," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 55(5), pages 644-658, June.
    20. Philippopoulos, Apostolis & Varthalitis, Petros & Vassilatos, Vanghelis, 2017. "Fiscal consolidation and its cross-country effects," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 55-106.

    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:aeb:wpaper:201503:y:2015. 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: Katerina Michailidou (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/auebugr.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.