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Inflation dynamics with labour market matching: assessing alternative specifications

Author

Listed:
  • Christoffel, Kai

    (European Central Bank)

  • Costain, James

    (Banco de Espana)

  • de Walque, Gregory

    (National Bank of Belgium)

  • Kuester, Keith

    (Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia)

  • Linzert, Tobias

    (European Central Bank)

  • Millard, Stephen

    (Bank of England)

  • Pierrard, Olivier

    (Banque Centrale du Luxembourg)

Abstract

This paper reviews recent approaches to modelling the labour market, and assesses their implications for inflation dynamics through both their effect on marginal cost and on price-setting behaviour. In a search and matching environment, we consider the following modelling set-ups: right-to-manage bargaining versus efficient bargaining, wage stickiness in new and existing matches, interactions at the firm level between price and wage-setting, alternative forms of hiring frictions, search on-the-job and endogenous job separation. We find that most specifications imply too little real rigidity relative to the data and, so, too volatile inflation. Models with wage stickiness and right-to-manage bargaining, or with firm-specific labour emerge as the most promising candidates.

Suggested Citation

  • Christoffel, Kai & Costain, James & de Walque, Gregory & Kuester, Keith & Linzert, Tobias & Millard, Stephen & Pierrard, Olivier, 2009. "Inflation dynamics with labour market matching: assessing alternative specifications," Bank of England working papers 375, Bank of England.
    • Handle: RePEc:boe:boeewp:0375
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inflation dynamics; labour market; business cycle; real rigidities;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search

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