Quantifying the Benefits of Labor Mobility in a Currency Union

59 Pages Posted: 11 Dec 2018 Last revised: 5 Apr 2023

See all articles by Christopher L. House

Christopher L. House

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Christian Proebsting

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Linda L. Tesar

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Date Written: December 2018

Abstract

Unemployment differentials are bigger in Europe than in the United States. Migration responds to unemployment differentials, though the response is smaller in Europe. Mundell (1961) argued that factor mobility is a precondition for a successful currency union. We use a multi-country DSGE model with cross-border migration and search frictions to quantify the benefits of increased labor mobility in Europe and compare this outcome to a case of fully flexible exchange rates. Labor mobility and flexible exchange rates both work to reduce unemployment and per capita GDP differentials across countries provided that monetary policy is sufficiently responsive to national output.

Suggested Citation

House, Christopher L. and Proebsting, Christian and Tesar, Linda L., Quantifying the Benefits of Labor Mobility in a Currency Union (December 2018). NBER Working Paper No. w25347, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3298825

Christopher L. House (Contact Author)

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics ( email )

611 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Christian Proebsting

École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne ( email )

Quartier UNIL-Dorigny, Bâtiment Extranef, # 211
40, Bd du Pont-d'Arve
CH-1015 Lausanne, CH-6900
Switzerland

Linda L. Tesar

University of Michigan at Ann Arbor - Department of Economics ( email )

611 Tappan Street
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1220
United States
734-763-2254 (Phone)
734-764-2769 (Fax)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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