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Do Labour Market Reforms Pay Off? Unemployment and Capital Accumulation in Portugal

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  • Bruno Damásio
  • Diogo Martins

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to study the long-run relationship between unemployment, capital accumulation and labour market variables in Portugal for the 1985Q1-2013Q4 period. We use an ARDL-bounds test model to perform the econometric estimation. We find evidence that capital accumulation has been the main driver of long-run unemployment (NAIRU), whilst labour market variables have played either a negligible or an existent explicative role. It suggests that Portuguese NAIRU is endogenous relative to capital accumulation. Consequently, we conclude that the labour market reforms proposed by Troika were inadequate to the Portuguese case as they were based upon a theoretical framework (exogenous NAIRU model) that was not representative of the Portuguese labour market.

Suggested Citation

  • Bruno Damásio & Diogo Martins, 2017. "Do Labour Market Reforms Pay Off? Unemployment and Capital Accumulation in Portugal," Working Papers Department of Economics 2017/01, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, Department of Economics, Universidade de Lisboa.
    • Handle: RePEc:ise:isegwp:wp012017
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    NAIRU; Unemployment; Capital Accumulation; Labour Market Institutions; ARDL; Bounds Test; Post Keynesian Economics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E11 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Marxian; Sraffian; Kaleckian
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E17 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Forecasting and Simulation: Models and Applications
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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