IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ces/ceswps/_867.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

The Inflationary Impact of Wage Indexation

Author

Listed:
  • Frank Heinemann

Abstract

It is an open question whether and how indexed wage contracts reduce welfare or raise average inflation. This paper analyzes the impact of indexed wage contracts on inflation and social welfare in a Barro–Gordon model with discretionary monetary policy by endogenizing social costs of indexation. Main results are: Wage indexation reduces the inflation bias but may raise the variance of inflation rates. In social optimum wages are fully indexed to the price level, but this requires optimal wage adjustments to productivity shocks. If wage adjustments to productivity are suboptimal, the second best solution calls for non–indexed wage contracts and a central banker with balanced aspiration levels of employment and real wages. In case of decentralized wage bargaining, a prohibition of wage indexation may improve welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Frank Heinemann, 2003. "The Inflationary Impact of Wage Indexation," CESifo Working Paper Series 867, CESifo.
    • Handle: RePEc:ces:ceswps:_867
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.cesifo.org/DocDL/cesifo_wp867.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Lars Calmfors & Asa Johansson, 2006. "Nominal Wage Flexibility, Wage Indexation and Monetary Union," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(508), pages 283-308, January.
    2. Kenneth Rogoff, 1985. "The Optimal Degree of Commitment to an Intermediate Monetary Target," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 100(4), pages 1169-1189.
    3. Duca, John V. & Van Hoose, David D., 2001. "The Rise of Goods-Market Competition and the Fall of Nominal Wage Contracting: Endogenous Wage Contracting in a Multisector Economy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 1-29, January.
    4. Barro, Robert J & Gordon, David B, 1983. "A Positive Theory of Monetary Policy in a Natural Rate Model," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(4), pages 589-610, August.
    5. Karni, Edi, 1983. "On Optimal Wage Indexation," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(2), pages 282-292, April.
    6. Devereux, Michael, 1989. "A Positive Theory of Inflation and Inflation Variance," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 27(1), pages 105-116, January.
    7. Cukierman, Alex & Lippi, Francesco, 1999. "Central bank independence, centralization of wage bargaining, inflation and unemployment:: Theory and some evidence," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1395-1434, June.
    8. Gray, Jo Anna, 1976. "Wage indexation: A macroeconomic approach," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 221-235, April.
    9. Devereux, Michael, 1987. "The effect of monetary variability on welfare in a simple macroeconomic model," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 427-435, May.
    10. Mourmouras, Iannis A., 1993. "Time consistency, indexation and the costs of inflation," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 361-365.
    11. Laurence Ball, 1988. "Is Equilibrium Indexation Efficient?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 103(2), pages 299-311.
    12. Fischer, Stanley & Summers, Lawrence H, 1989. "Should Governments Learn to Live with Inflation?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 79(2), pages 382-387, May.
    13. Lawler, Phillip, 2001. "Monetary Policy, Central Bank Objectives, and Social Welfare with Strategic Wage Setting," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 53(1), pages 94-113, January.
    14. Giersch, Herbert, 1973. "Indexklauseln und Inflationsbekämpfung," Kiel Discussion Papers 32, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    15. repec:bla:scandj:v:97:y:1995:i:1:p:105-12 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Adolph, Brigitte & Wolfstetter, Elmar, 1991. "Wage-Indexation, Informational Externalities, and Monetary Policy," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 43(3), pages 368-390, July.
    17. Fischer, Stanley, 1977. "Long-Term Contracts, Rational Expectations, and the Optimal Money Supply Rule," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 85(1), pages 191-205, February.
    18. Ball, Laurence & Cecchetti, Stephen G, 1991. "Wage Indexation and Discretionary Monetary Policy," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1310-1319, December.
    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. Frank Heinemann, 2006. "Wage Indexation and Monetary Policy," Journal of Institutional and Theoretical Economics (JITE), Mohr Siebeck, Tübingen, vol. 162(3), pages 486-504, September.
    2. James, Jonathan G. & Lawler, Phillip, 2010. "Union objectives and indexation externalities in a monopolistically competitive economy," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 28-35, March.
    3. Nir Klein, 2003. "Reputation and Indexation in an Inflation Targeting Framework," Bank of Israel Working Papers 2003.13, Bank of Israel.
    4. James, Jonathan G. & Lawler, Phillip, 2006. "Productivity, indexation and macroeconomic outcomes: The implications of goods market competition and wage bargaining structure," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 58(5-6), pages 465-479.
    5. Oscar Landerretche & Fernando Lefort & Rodrigo O. Valdés, 2002. "Causes and Consequences of Indexation: A Review of the Literature," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Fernando Lefort & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Serie (ed.),Indexation, Inflation and Monetary Policy, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 2, pages 019-064, Central Bank of Chile.
    6. Giuseppe Diana & Pierre‐Guillaume Méon, 2008. "Monetary Policy in the Presence of Asymmetric Wage Indexation," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 75(1), pages 69-90, July.
    7. Duca, John V. & Vanhoose, David D., 1998. "The Rise of Goods-Market Competition and the Decline in Wage Indexation: A Macroeconomic Approach," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 579-598, July.
    8. P Lawler, 2004. "Monetary Uncertainty, the Appropriate Choice of Central Banker and Social Welfare," Economic Issues Journal Articles, Economic Issues, vol. 9(2), pages 43-50, September.
    9. Acocella, Nicola & Di Bartolomeo, Giovanni & Hibbs Jr., Douglas A., 2008. "Labor market regimes and the effects of monetary policy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 134-156, March.
    10. Joeri Gorter & Suzanne Kok, 2009. "Agglomeration economies in the Netherlands," CPB Discussion Paper 124.rdf, CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
    11. repec:aeb:wpaper:201604:i:4:y:2016 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Duca, John V. & VanHoose, David D., 1998. "Goods-market competition and profit sharing: a multisector macro approach," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 525-534, November.
    13. Acocella, Nicola & Di Bartolomeo, Giovanni, 2004. "Non-neutrality of monetary policy in policy games," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 695-707, September.
    14. repec:zbw:bofrdp:1999_014 is not listed on IDEAS
    15. Tilemahos Efthimiadis, 2007. "On Central Bank Independence, Wage Indexing And A Monopoly Union," Bulletin of Economic Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(1), pages 25-36, January.
    16. Moïse Sidiropoulos & Blandine Zimmer, 2009. "Monetary Union Enlargement, Fiscal Policy, and Strategic Wage Setting," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 17(3), pages 631-649, August.
    17. Tilemahos Efthimiadis, 2004. "Does Wage Indexing Matter?," Money Macro and Finance (MMF) Research Group Conference 2004 30, Money Macro and Finance Research Group.
    18. Esteban Jadresic, 1998. "The Macroeconomic Consequences of Wage Indexation Revisited," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 35, Central Bank of Chile.
    19. Duca, John V. & Van Hoose, David D., 2001. "The Rise of Goods-Market Competition and the Fall of Nominal Wage Contracting: Endogenous Wage Contracting in a Multisector Economy," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 1-29, January.
    20. Giuseppe Diana & MoÏse Sidiropoulos, 2006. "Central Bank Independence and the Cost of Disinflation: Why the Wage Contracts Length Matters?," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 12(3), pages 287-297, August.
    21. Daniels, Joseph P. & Nourzad, Farrokh & VanHoose, David D., 2006. "Openness, centralized wage bargaining, and inflation," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 969-988, December.
    22. Broadbent, Ben & Barro, Robert J., 1997. "Central bank preferences and macroeconomic equilibrium," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 17-43, June.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary policy; Phillips curve; wage bargaining; wage indexation;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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:ces:ceswps:_867. 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: Klaus Wohlrabe (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/cesifde.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.