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Endogenous Working Hours, Overlapping Generations and Balanced Neoclassical Growth

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  • Andreas Irmen

    (DEM, Université du Luxembourg)

Abstract

A balanced growth path that accounts for a decline in hours worked per worker approximates the evolution of today’s industrialized countries since 1870. This stylized fact is explained in an OLG-model featuring two-period lived individuals equipped with per-period utility functions of the generalized log- log type proposed by Boppart and Krusell (2020) and a neoclassical production sector. Technological progress drives real wages up and expands the amount of consumption goods. The value of leisure increases, and the supply of hours worked declines. Technological progress moves a poor economy out of a regime with low wages and an inelastic supply of hours worked into a regime with high wages and a declining supply of hours worked. The balanced growth path is unique and stable. In the high wage regime, the equilibrium difference equation is available in closed form. A balanced growth path with declining hours worked may also be obtained with endogenous technological progress as in Romer (1986).

Suggested Citation

  • Andreas Irmen, 2023. "Endogenous Working Hours, Overlapping Generations and Balanced Neoclassical Growth," DEM Discussion Paper Series 23-08, Department of Economics at the University of Luxembourg.
    • Handle: RePEc:luc:wpaper:23-08
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/10993/55683
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert J. Gordon, 2016. "The Rise and Fall of American Growth: The U.S. Standard of Living since the Civil War," Economics Books, Princeton University Press, edition 1, number 10544.
    2. Alexander Bick & Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln & David Lagakos, 2018. "How Do Hours Worked Vary with Income? Cross-Country Evidence and Implications," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 108(1), pages 170-199, January.
    3. Gregory Casey & Ryo Horii, 2024. "A Generalized Uzawa Growth Theorem," Journal of Political Economy Macroeconomics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 2(2), pages 336-373.
    4. Ohanian, Lee & Raffo, Andrea & Rogerson, Richard, 2008. "Long-term changes in labor supply and taxes: Evidence from OECD countries, 1956-2004," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 55(8), pages 1353-1362, November.
    5. MaCurdy, Thomas E, 1981. "An Empirical Model of Labor Supply in a Life-Cycle Setting," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 89(6), pages 1059-1085, December.
    6. C. Nourry & A. Venditti, 2006. "Overlapping Generations Model with Endogenous Labor Supply: General Formulation," Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 355-377, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Felix FitzRoy & Jim Jin, 2024. "Less work and higher tax can raise wellbeing," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 92(5), pages 539-555, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Technological Change; Comparative Economic Development; Endogenous Labor Supply; Neoclassical Endogenous Growth; OLG-model.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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