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Macroeconomic Fluctuations and the Timing of Labor Market Reform

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  • Saint-Paul, Gilles

Abstract

It is commonly heard that expansionary times are more favourable than recessions for implementing structural reforms in the labour market. Behind this belief is the intuition that structural reforms are ‘painful’ and that such pain is likely to be lighter in a boom. In this chapter, I try to discuss these issues from a more precise and analytical perspective and conclude that this simplistic view should be severely qualified.
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Suggested Citation

  • Saint-Paul, Gilles, 2004. "Macroeconomic Fluctuations and the Timing of Labor Market Reform," IDEI Working Papers 314, Institut d'Économie Industrielle (IDEI), Toulouse.
    • Handle: RePEc:ide:wpaper:3291
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Gilles Saint-Paul, 2002. "The Political Economy of Employment Protection," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 110(3), pages 672-701, June.
    2. Bertola, Giuseppe, 1994. "Flexibility, investment, and growth," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 215-238, October.
    3. Samuel Bentolila & Giuseppe Bertola, 1990. "Firing Costs and Labour Demand: How Bad is Eurosclerosis?," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 57(3), pages 381-402.
    4. Ricardo J. Caballero & Mohamad L. Hammour, 1996. "On the Timing and Efficiency of Creative Destruction," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 111(3), pages 805-852.
    5. Gilles Saint-Paul, 1993. "On the Political Economy of Labor Market Flexibility," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1993, Volume 8, pages 151-196, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    6. Gilles Saint Paul & Samuel Bentolila, 2000. "Will EMU increase eurosclerosis?," Economics Working Papers 449, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    7. Gilles Saint-Paul, 1995. "The High Unemployment Trap," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 110(2), pages 527-550.
    8. Saint-Paul, Gilles, 2000. "The Political Economy of Labour Market Institutions," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198293323.
    9. Saint-Paul, Gilles, 1997. "The Rise and Persistence of Rigidities," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(2), pages 290-294, May.
    10. Hopenhayn, Hugo & Rogerson, Richard, 1993. "Job Turnover and Policy Evaluation: A General Equilibrium Analysis," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 101(5), pages 915-938, October.
    11. Fernandez, Raquel & Rodrik, Dani, 1991. "Resistance to Reform: Status Quo Bias in the Presence of Individual-Specific Uncertainty," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 81(5), pages 1146-1155, December.
    12. Shapiro, Carl & Stiglitz, Joseph E, 1984. "Equilibrium Unemployment as a Worker Discipline Device," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 74(3), pages 433-444, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    Blog mentions

    As found by EconAcademics.org, the blog aggregator for Economics research:
    1. Reformas del mercado de trabajo, sindicatos y partidos socialdemócratas
      by Cives in Politikon on 2012-05-08 19:48:11

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    Cited by:

    1. Calcagnini, Giorgio & Ferrando, Annalisa & Giombini, Germana, 2014. "Does employment protection legislation affect firm investment? The European case," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 658-665.
    2. Roel M. W. J. Beetsma & Xavier Debrun, 2004. "Reconciling Stability and Growth: Smart Pacts and Structural Reforms," IMF Staff Papers, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 51(3), pages 431-456, November.
    3. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/6490 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Jean-Luc Gaffard, 2003. "Promouvoir la croissance en Europe : vérités et mystifications. Critique du rapport d'A. Sapir présenté à la Commission européenne en juillet 2003 : 'An Agenda for a Growing Europe. Making the EU Econ," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-01019489, HAL.
    5. Samuel Bentolila & Juan Dolado & Juan Jimeno, 2012. "Reforming an insider-outsider labor market: the Spanish experience," IZA Journal of European Labor Studies, Springer;Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit GmbH (IZA), vol. 1(1), pages 1-29, December.
    6. Jaramillo, Miguel, 2019. "The unprotecting effects of employment protection: the impact of the 2001 labor reform in Peru," GLO Discussion Paper Series 299, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    7. repec:ces:ifodic:v:10:y:2012:i:2:p:18946366 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/6490 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Jaramillo, Miguel, 2018. "Los efectos desprotectores de la protección del empleo: El impacto de la reforma del contrato laboral de 2001," Revista Moneda, Banco Central de Reserva del Perú, issue 173, pages 31-36.
    10. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/6490 is not listed on IDEAS
    11. Giancarlo Corsetti & Michael P. Devereux & John Hassler & Tim Jenkinson & Gilles Saint-Paul & Hans-Werner Sinn & Jan-Egbert Sturm & Xavier Vives, 2009. "Chapter 4: France," EEAG Report on the European Economy, CESifo, vol. 0, pages 141-164, February.
    12. Calcagnini, Giorgio & Giombini, Germana & Saltari, Enrico, 2009. "Financial and labor market imperfections and investment," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 102(1), pages 22-26, January.
    13. Adam Gersl & Jan Zápal, 2010. "Economic Volatility and Institutional Reforms in Macroeconomic Policymaking: The Case of Fiscal Policy," Working Papers IES 2010/15, Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, Institute of Economic Studies, revised Aug 2010.
    14. Nadine Leiner-Killinger & Víctor López Pérez & Roger Stiegert & Giovanni Vitale, 2007. "Structural reforms in EMU and the role of monetary policy – a survey of the literature," Occasional Paper Series 66, European Central Bank.
    15. Samuel Bentolila & Juan J. Dolado & Juan F. Jimeno, 2012. "The New New Labour Market Reform in Spain: Objectives, Instruments, and Shortcomings," ifo DICE Report, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 10(02), pages 03-07, August.
    16. Poplawski Ribeiro, Marcos & Beetsma, Roel, 2008. "The political economy of structural reforms under a deficit restriction," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 179-198, March.
    17. Giorgio Calcagnini & Germana Giombini & Enrico Saltari, 2009. "Firms? Investment in the Presence of Labor and Financial Market Imperfections," Working Papers 0901, University of Urbino Carlo Bo, Department of Economics, Society & Politics - Scientific Committee - L. Stefanini & G. Travaglini, revised 2009.
    18. Pierre Cahuc, 2005. "Le difficile retour en emploi des seniors," Revue Française d'Économie, Programme National Persée, vol. 20(1), pages 3-56.
    19. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6490 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Adam Geršl & Martina Jašová & Jan Zápal, 2014. "Fiscal Councils and Economic Volatility," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 64(3), pages 190-212, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General

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