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Imperfect Competition, General Equilibrium and Unemployment

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  • Hans Gersbach
  • Achim Schniewind

Abstract

We analyze whether different learning abilities of firms with respect to general equilibrium effects lead to different levels of unemployment. We consider a general equilibrium model where firms in one sector compete à la Cournot and a real wage rigidity leads to unemployment. If firms consider only partial equilibrium effects when choosing quantities, the observation of general equilibrium feedback effects will lead to repeated quantity adjustments until a steady state is reached. When labor is im mobile across industries, unempolyment in the steady state is lower than when all general equilibrium effects are incorporated at once. The opposite result is true if labor is mobile.

Suggested Citation

  • Hans Gersbach & Achim Schniewind, 1999. "Imperfect Competition, General Equilibrium and Unemployment," CESifo Working Paper Series 224, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_224
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Tchoffo, Rodrigue & Ngouhouo, Ibrahim & Nkemgha, Guivis, 2020. "Trade Liberalization and Macroeconomic Performance in Cameroon: An Imperfect Competition Approach," MPRA Paper 98558, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 09 Feb 2020.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Product markets; Cournot competition; learning of general equilibrium effects; unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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