DOWNWARD NOMINAL WAGE RIGIDITY: THE IMPLICATIONS FROM A NEW-KEYNESIAN MODEL

We study the determinants of Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity(DNWR) in the context of a new-Keynesian heterogeneous-agent model. Laborproductivity of agents is subject to perfectly insurable idiosyncratic shocks.Wage contracts are signed one period ahead and specify the minimum wagethat the firm should pay to each worker conditional on her future expectedmarginal product. The model predicts a simple structural equation: the degreesof DNWR are entirely determined by unexpected shocks to technology andmoney supply. We test this model's implication with data on the U.S. economy,and we find that the above two shocks can account for about 60% of variation inthe aggregate measures of DNWR.Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity, New-Keynesian model

Pairwise Tests of Purchasing Power Parity Using Aggregate and Disaggregate Price Measures

In this paper we adopt a new approach to testing for purchasing power parity, PPP, that is robust to base country effects, cross-section dependence, and aggregation. We test for PPP applying a pairwise approach to the disaggregated data set recently analysed by Imbs, Mumtaz, Ravan and Rey (2005, QJE). We consider a variety of tests applied to all 66 possible pairs of real exchange rate among the 12 countries and estimate the proportion of the pairs that are stationary, for the aggregates and each of the 19 commodity groups. To deal with small sample problems, we use a factor augmented sieve bootstrap approach and present bootstrap pairwise estimates of the proportions that are stationary. The bootstrapped rejection frequencies at 26%-49% based on unit root tests suggest some evidence in favour of the PPP in the case of the disaggregate data as compared to 6%-14% based on aggregate price series

Pairwise Tests of Purchasing Power Parity Using Aggregate and Disaggregate Price Measures

In this paper we adopt a new approach to testing for purchasing power parity, PPP, that is robust to base country effects, cross-section dependence, and aggregation. Given data on N +1 countries, i, j = 0, 1, 2, ..., N, the standard procedure is to apply unit root or stationarity tests to N relative prices against a base country, 0, e.g. the US. The evidence is that such tests are sensitive to the choice of base country. In addition, the analysis is subject to a high degree of cross section dependence which is difficult to deal with particularly when N is large. In this paper we test for PPP applying a pairwise approach to the disaggregated data set recently analysed by Imbs, Mumtaz, Ravan and Rey (2005, QJE). We consider a variety of tests applied to all possible N(N +1)/2 pairs of real exchange rate pairs between the N + 1 countries and estimate the proportion of the pairs that are stationary, for the aggregates and each of the 19 commodity groups. This approach is invariant to base country effects and the proportion that are non-stationary can be consistently estimated even if there is cross-sectional dependence. To deal with small sample problems and residual cross section dependence, we use a factor augmented sieve bootstrap approach and present bootstrap pairwise estimates of the proportions that are stationary. The bootstrapped rejection frequencies at 26%-49% based on unit root tests suggest some evidence in favour of the PPP in the case of the disaggregate data as compared to 6%-14% based on aggregate price series.purchasing power parity, panel data, pairwise approach, cross section dependence