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Growth, Unemployment and Tax/Benefit system in European Countries

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  • Quintero-Rojas, Coralia
  • Adjemian, Stéphane
  • Langot, François

Abstract

This paper analyzes how the frictions in the labor market simultaneously affect the economic growth and the long run unemployment. To this goal, we develop a Schumpeterian model of endogenous growth: agents have the choice of being employed or being doing R&D activities. Unemployment is caused by the wage-setting behavior of unions. We show that: (i) High labor costs or powerful trade unions lead to higher unemployment and lower economic growth. (ii) Efficient bargain allows to increase employment, at the price of a lower growth rate. These theoretical predictions are consistent with our empirical analysis based on 183 European Regions, between 1980-2003. Finally, in a welfare exercise, we show that the optimal growth rate can be reached by compensating the distortions on the goods-sector due to the growth process with the distortions induced by the labor market rigidities.

Suggested Citation

  • Quintero-Rojas, Coralia & Adjemian, Stéphane & Langot, François, 2008. "Growth, Unemployment and Tax/Benefit system in European Countries," MPRA Paper 7909, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:7909
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Blanchard, Olivier & Wolfers, Justin, 2000. "The Role of Shocks and Institutions in the Rise of European Unemployment: The Aggregate Evidence," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 110(462), pages 1-33, March.
    2. Nickell, Stephen & Layard, Richard, 1999. "Labor market institutions and economic performance," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 46, pages 3029-3084, Elsevier.
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    5. Alberto Alonso & Cristina Echevarria & Kien C. Tran, 2004. "Long-Run Economic Performance and the Labor Market," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 70(4), pages 905-919, April.
    6. Lingens, Jorg, 2003. "The impact of a unionised labour market in a Schumpeterian growth model," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 91-104, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Endogenous growth; unemployment; labor market institutions; welfare;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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