Pablo Garcia , Pascal Jacquinot , Črt Lenarčič , Matija Lozej , Kostas Mavromatis
{"title":"Global models for a global pandemic: The impact of COVID-19 on small euro area economies","authors":"Pablo Garcia , Pascal Jacquinot , Črt Lenarčič , Matija Lozej , Kostas Mavromatis","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103551","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103551","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We analyse the COVID-19 pandemic shock on small open economies<span> (SOEs) in the euro area in a unified modelling framework: the Euro Area and the Global Economy model. We find strong negative international spillovers<span> affecting each of the modelled SOEs, stemming not only from the rest of the euro area, but also from the United States and the rest of the world. A lower bound on nominal interest rates in the euro area amplifies these spillovers, especially within the euro area. Furthermore, we find some positive spillovers from the fiscal measures implemented in the Euro area to combat the pandemic, including the new Next Generation EU instrument.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 103551"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"50203547","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fernando Barros Jr , Bruno R. Delalibera , Luciano Nakabashi , Marcos J. Ribeiro
{"title":"Misallocation of talent, teachers’ human capital, and development in Brazil","authors":"Fernando Barros Jr , Bruno R. Delalibera , Luciano Nakabashi , Marcos J. Ribeiro","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103542","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this study, we investigate the allocation of talent in an economy where teachers play a critical role in developing the human capital of the workforce. To this end, we formulate a Roy model with externality in the occupational choice, as the quantity and quality of teachers are key determinants of workers’ human capital. Our analysis suggests that when individuals with greater abilities opt for teaching careers, the entire workforce benefits. However, frictions in the labor and educational goods markets may lead to a suboptimal allocation of talent and hinder economic growth and development. Our model is calibrated to the Brazilian economy, and our findings reveal a negative correlation between frictions in the teacher’s occupation and per capita output in the Brazilian states. Our results indicate that eliminating friction in the labor market could result in a 16.94% increase in Brazilian income.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 103542"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49881639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Taylor rules: Consequences for wealth and income inequality","authors":"Yoichi Gokan , Stephen J. Turnovsky","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103544","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103544","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>This paper compares the consequences of “active” vs. “passive” Taylor rules<span> for wealth and income inequality. Since the distinction is operative only along transitional paths, we compare the implications for two forms of government expenditure that generate such transitions. Our results confirm that the contrasting effects obtained previously for the aggregate economy have significant distributional consequences. For an </span></span><em>active</em> Taylor rule, whether the government increases its expenditure on consumption, or productively, wealth inequality will increase. Expenditure on the two public goods yields divergent paths for income inequality. Government consumption expenditure raises income inequality; productive government expenditure reduces it. If the Taylor rule is <em>passive</em>, an increase in either form of government expenditure reduces wealth inequality initially and over time. Income inequality initially increases, but declines over time, although remaining above its previous steady-state level.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 103544"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44473873","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Business cycle synchronization and African monetary union: A wavelet analysis","authors":"Gislain Stéphane Gandjon Fankem, Lucien Cédric Fouda Mbesa","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103527","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103527","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of an African monetary union based on the necessary condition of business cycle synchronization. In this regard, we examine the synchronization of growth cycles between five Regional Economic Communities (RECs) that will have to merge to form an African monetary union: the East African Community; the Economic Community of Central African States; the Economic Community of West African States; the Southern African Development Community; and the Arab Maghreb Union. To do this, we use a new continuous wavelet approach. Results show evidence of heterogeneous synchronization across time and horizons between the RECs. Controlling for the influence of some countries' membership in several RECs at the same time, the synchronization landscape does not improve. Overall, our results suggest that business cycle synchronization across the RECs has not yet reached a sufficient level to allow African countries to benefit from a common monetary policy.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"77 ","pages":"Article 103527"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47900138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Measuring Household Inflation Perceptions and Expectations: The Effect of Guided vs Non-Guided Inflation Questions","authors":"Bernd Hayo , Pierre-Guillaume Méon","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103558","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103558","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>An experiment using a representative survey of the German population shows that letting respondents report a number rather than asking them to choose from a list of predefined ranges lowers the response rate for both perceived past and expected inflation<span> and decreases (increases) reported past (expected) inflation<span>. Income, education, gender, objective and subjective knowledge about monetary policy, and political affiliation affect the effect's size but not its sign. East and West German respondents who were 15 or older when the Berlin Wall fell have reactions different from those who were younger at that time, which supports the ‘impressionable years’ hypothesis based on different inflation experiences.</span></span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 103558"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49901203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Naïve agents with non-unitary discounting rate in a monetary economy","authors":"Koichi Futagami , Daiki Maeda","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103550","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103550","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span>We incorporate naïve agents with a non-unitary discounting rate into a cash-in-advance (CIA) model. Through this extension, we obtain the following results. First, we show that there exists an equilibrium in which the CIA constraint does not bind when individuals discount their utilities from future consumption lower than their utilities from future leisure time. Notably, this non-binding equilibrium exists even if the nominal interest rate takes a positive value. Second, we demonstrate that increases in the money supply growth rate decrease individuals’ </span>saving rates in equilibrium, where the CIA constraint does not bind. Third, we exhibit that when the equilibrium where the CIA constraint does not bind exists, the welfare level of this equilibrium can be higher than that of the equilibrium in which the CIA constraint binds. Moreover, we deduce that the Friedman rule cannot be optimal in the equilibrium in which the CIA constraint binds and present the result that the optimal level of the optimal nominal interest rate is affected by the difference in the discount rates.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"78 ","pages":"Article 103550"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44715601","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"COVID-19 inflation weights in the UK and Germany","authors":"Francesco Grigoli, Evgenia Pugacheva","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103543","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103543","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The COVID-19 pandemic altered consumption patterns significantly in a short period of time. However, official inflation statistics take time to reflect changes in the weights of the CPI consumption basket. Using credit card data for the UK and Germany, we document how consumption patterns changed and quantify the resulting inflation bias. We find that consumers experienced a higher level of inflation at the beginning of the pandemic than what a fixed-weight inflation (or the official-weight) index suggests and lower inflation thereafter. We also show that weights can differ among age groups and in-person vs. online spenders. These differences affect the purchasing power of the population heterogeneously. We conclude that CPI inflation indexes based on frequently updated weights can provide useful inputs to assess changes in the cost of living, including across segments of the population. If shifts in consumption patterns prove persistent, these indexes can help determine the need to introduce new weights and inform monetary policy and the design of support policies for the more vulnerable.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"79 ","pages":"Article 103543"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10276500/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10091886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Francesco G. Caloia , Jante Parlevliet , Mauro Mastrogiacomo
{"title":"Staggered wages, unanticipated shocks and firms’ adjustments","authors":"Francesco G. Caloia , Jante Parlevliet , Mauro Mastrogiacomo","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><span><span>This paper empirically investigates the employment and wage effects of contract staggering, i.e., the asynchronous and infrequent way in which wages adjust to changes in the economic environment. Using an identification strategy based on exogenous start dates of collective agreements around the Great Recession, we estimate the effect of increases in base wages on firms’ labor cost adjustments. Our analysis is based on a large employers-employees dataset merged to collective agreements in the Netherlands, a country in which </span>collective bargaining is dominant and contract staggering is relatively pervasive. The main result is that staggered wage setting has no real effect on employment. We find significant employment losses only in sectors covered by contracts with much longer durations than those normally assumed in </span>macroeconomic models<span> featuring staggered wages. Instead, we show that firms adjust labor costs by curbing other pay components such as bonuses and benefits and incidental pay. The overall result supports the idea that wage rigidities are not the main source of employment fluctuations.</span></p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 103521"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49899597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pål Boug, Thomas von Brasch, Ådne Cappelen, Roger Hammersland, Håvard Hungnes, Dag Kolsrud, Julia Skretting, Birger Strøm, Trond C. Vigtel
{"title":"Fiscal policy, macroeconomic performance and industry structure in a small open economy","authors":"Pål Boug, Thomas von Brasch, Ådne Cappelen, Roger Hammersland, Håvard Hungnes, Dag Kolsrud, Julia Skretting, Birger Strøm, Trond C. Vigtel","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>We analyse how fiscal policy affects both the macroeconomy and the industry structure, using a multi-sector macroeconomic model of the Norwegian economy with an inflation targeting monetary policy. Our simulations show that the magnitude of the government spending and labour tax cut multipliers, whether monetary policy is active or passive, is comparable to what is found in the literature. A novel finding from our simulations is that the industry structure is substantially affected by an expansionary fiscal policy, as value added in the non-traded goods sector increases at the expense of value added in the traded goods sector. Moreover, expansionary fiscal policy reduces the mark-ups in the traded goods sector, while the mark-ups are roughly unchanged in the non-traded goods sector. The contraction of activity in the traded goods sector increases when monetary tightening accompanies the fiscal stimulus. Hence, we find that such a policy mix is likely to produce significant de-industrialization in a small open economy with inflation targeting.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 103524"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49399313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Impact of infectious disease pandemics on individual lifetime consumption: An endogenous time preference approach","authors":"Kei Hosoya","doi":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.jmacro.2023.103506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper considers the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on long-term individual lifetime consumption profiles. The framework for the analysis is a model that extends Strulik (2021) to include the government sector, where time preference is determined by individual health damage (deficit) distinct from normal aging. Thus, the health damage caused by COVID-19 changes the rate of time preference and consequently affects the Euler equation for consumption. Our theoretical contribution is the consistent incorporation of public health investment into the existing model to understand the effect of government measures against a pandemic. Numerical analysis based on this model is used to estimate changes in health status over time, trends in the rate of time preference, and individual lifetime consumption profiles, taking into account differences in age at the time of the pandemic and the nature of the government responses. Because the long-term negative economic impact would be enormous, we should avoid advocating for “living with COVID-19” without due consideration. The reopening of the economy must be accompanied by a commitment to the containment and elimination of infections with future novel coronaviruses.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":47863,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Macroeconomics","volume":"76 ","pages":"Article 103506"},"PeriodicalIF":1.4,"publicationDate":"2023-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9899125/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9469826","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}