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Labor market institutions and macroeconomic volatility in a panel of OECD countries

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  • Scharler, Johann
  • Rumler, Fabio

Abstract

In this paper we analyse empirically how labour market institutions influence business cycle volatility in a sample of 20 OECD countries. Our results suggest that countries characterized by high union density tend to experience more volatile movements in output, whereas the degree of coordination of the wage bargaining system and strictness of employment protection legislation appear to play a limited role for output volatility. We also find some evidence suggesting that highly coordinated wage bargaining systems have a dampening impact on inflation volatility. JEL Classification: E31, E32

Suggested Citation

  • Scharler, Johann & Rumler, Fabio, 2009. "Labor market institutions and macroeconomic volatility in a panel of OECD countries," Working Paper Series 1005, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20091005
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    business cycles; inflation; labor market institutions;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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

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