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Do public wages in the euro area explain private wage developments? An empirical investigation

Author

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  • Attinasi, Maria Grazia
  • Berardini, Francesco
  • Palazzo, Alessandra Anna

Abstract

This paper investigates the relationship between public and private wages in the five largest euro area countries for the period 1997-2017. The analysis shows that there exists a positive and significant response of private wages to a public wage shock. This effect is found to be temporary and to differ across countries (positive and significant in France, Spain, Italy and non-significant in Germany and the Netherlands). Interestingly, the response of private wages is found to be asymmetric: a positive and statistically significant response is found in case of a positive shock to public wages, while no statistically significant effects are detected in case of a cut to public wages. As the public wage containment policies adopted during the sovereign debt crisis are expected to be gradually lifted in several euro area countries, the findings of this paper suggest that knock-on effects on private sector wages cannot be excluded in the years to come. JEL Classification: E24, E62, J30, C33, C11

Suggested Citation

  • Attinasi, Maria Grazia & Berardini, Francesco & Palazzo, Alessandra Anna, 2019. "Do public wages in the euro area explain private wage developments? An empirical investigation," Working Paper Series 2231, European Central Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20192231
    Note: 930374
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Bobeica, Elena & Koester, Gerrit & Lis, Eliza & Nickel, Christiane & Porqueddu, Mario, 2019. "Understanding low wage growth in the euro area and European countries," Occasional Paper Series 232, European Central Bank.
    3. Donato Di Carlo & Oscar Molina, 2024. "Same same but different? The Mediterranean growth regime and public sector wage-setting before and after the sovereign debt crisis," European Journal of Industrial Relations, , vol. 30(1), pages 31-53, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    asymmetries; government wages; private sector wages; spillovers;
    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
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • J30 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - General
    • C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • C11 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods and Methodology: General - - - Bayesian Analysis: General

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