Macroeconomic Policy, Wage Setting and Employment - What Difference Does the EMU Make?

Lars Calmfors

No 657, Seminar Papers from Stockholm University, Institute for International Economic Studies

Abstract: The likely impact of the EMU on the variability and level of employment is analysed. The major conclusions are: (1) Although an inflation-target regime will constrain monetary policy of a non-participant in the EMU, it still leaves considerable scope for exchange rate chages in the case of country-specific demand-shocks, provided that there is some nominal price and wage flexibility. (2) Variations in payroll taxes can be used as a substitute for exchange rate changes in the EMU, but it will be an imperfect substitute. (3) Money-wage flexibility is likely to be larger inside than outside the EMU, but probably not by much. (4) There are various mechanisms through which the EMU may affect the incentives for labour-market reform to reduce equilibrium unemployment, but the net impact is highly uncertain.

Keywords: Monetary Union; Asymetric Shocks; Stabilisation Policy; Wage Setting; Labour-Market Reform; Equilibrium Unemployment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E58 E69 F33 J29 J30 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 55 pages
Date: 1998-10-01
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (118)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Macroeconomic Policy, Wage Setting, and Employment--What Difference Does the EMU Make? (1998)
Working Paper: Macroeconomic Policy, Wage Setting and Employment -What Differences Does the EMU Make? (1998)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hhs:iiessp:0657

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