Divergence in Labor Market Institutions and International Business Cycles

43 Pages Posted: 23 Apr 2008

See all articles by Raquel Fonseca

Raquel Fonseca

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) - Faculty of Management (ESG); Rand Corporation; Centre interuniversitaire sur le risque, les politiques économiques et l'emploi (CIRPÉE)

Lise Patureau

University of Cergy-Pontoise - Department of Economics

Thepthida Sopraseuth

Université du Maine; University of Angers - Centre d'Etudes Prospectives d'Economie Mathematique Appliquees a la Planification (CEPREMAP)

Date Written: April 1, 2008

Abstract

This paper investigates the sources of business cycle comovement within the New Open Economy Macroeconomy framework. It sheds new light on the business cycle comovement issue by examining the role of cross-country divergence in labor market institutions. The authors first document stylized facts supporting that heterogeneous labor market institutions are associated with lower cross-country GDP correlations among OECD countries. They then investigate this fact within a two-country dynamic general equilibrium model with frictions on the good and labor markets. On the good-market side, they model monopolistic competition and nominal price rigidity. Labor market frictions are introduced through a matching function à la Mortensen and Pissarides (1999). Their conclusions disclose that heterogenous labor market institutions amplify the crosscountry GDP differential in response to aggregate shocks. In quantitative terms, they contribute to reduce cross-country output correlation, when the model is subject to real and/or monetary shocks. Their overall results show that taking into account labor market heterogeneity improves their understanding of the quantity puzzle.

Keywords: International business cycle, Search, Labor market institutions, Wage bargaining

JEL Classification: E24, E32, F41

Suggested Citation

Fonseca Benito, Raquel and Patureau, Lise and Sopraseuth, Thepthida, Divergence in Labor Market Institutions and International Business Cycles (April 1, 2008). RAND Working Paper Series No. WR-562, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1124244 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1124244

Raquel Fonseca Benito (Contact Author)

University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) - Faculty of Management (ESG) ( email )

Case postale 8888
Succursale Centre-ville
Montreal, Quebec H3C 3P8
Canada

Rand Corporation ( email )

P.O. Box 2138
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138
United States

Centre interuniversitaire sur le risque, les politiques économiques et l'emploi (CIRPÉE) ( email )

Pavillon De Sève
Ste-Foy, Quebec G1K 7P4
Canada

Lise Patureau

University of Cergy-Pontoise - Department of Economics ( email )

Site des Chênes 1
33 boulevard du Port
Cergy-Pontoise, Cédex F-95011
France

Thepthida Sopraseuth

Université du Maine ( email )

72085 Le Mans Cedex 9
France

University of Angers - Centre d'Etudes Prospectives d'Economie Mathematique Appliquees a la Planification (CEPREMAP)

Ecole Normale Superieure
48 boulevard Jourdan
75014 Paris
France

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