The effects of macroeconomic institutions on economic performance in a general equilibrium model

This paper analyzes the relation between inflation, output and government size by reexamining the time inconsistency of optimal monetary and fiscal policies in a general equilibrium model with staggered timing structure for the acquisition of nominal money a la Neiss (1999), and public expenditure financed by means of a distortive tax. It focuses on how macroeconomic institutions may affect output, inflation and taxation when monetary and fiscal policies strategically interact in presence of monopolistic distortions in labor markets. It is shown that, with pre determined wage setting, fiscal and monetary policy are subject to a time inconsistency problem, and the equilibrium rate of inflation is above the Friedman rule while the equilibrium tax rate is below the efficient level. In particular, the discretionary rate of inflation is nonmonotonically related to the natural output, positively related to government size, and negatively related to conservatism. Finally, a regime with commitment is always welfare improving over a regime with discretion.

Strategic monetary policy in a monetary union with non-atomistic wage setters

In a micro-founded framework in line with the new open economy macroeconomics, the paper shows that more centralized wage setting (CWS) and central bank conservatism (CBC) curb unemployment only if labor market distortions are sizeable. When labor market distortions are sufficiently low, employment may be maximized by atomistic wage setters or a populist CB. The comparison between a national monetary policy (NMP) regime and the monetary union (MU) reveals that a move to a MU boosts inflation in the absence of strategic effects. However, when strategic interactions between CB(s) and trade unions are taken into account, the shift to a MU when monopoly distortions are sizeable unambiguously increases welfare and employment either in presence of a sufficiently conservative CB or with a fully CWS. Finally, when labor market distortions are less relevant, an ultra-populist CB or atomistic wage setters are optimal for the society and a shift to a MU regime is unambiguously welfare improving.Central bank conservatism; centralization of wage setting; inflationary bias; monetary union

The welfare effect of foreign monetary conservatism with non-atomistic wage setters

This paper sheds light on the real effects of foreign central bank’s degree of inflation aversion in presence of non-atomistic wage setters. It extends the Lippi’s (2003) framework to an open economy and identifies the key strategic mechanisms between monetary policy and wage-setting decisions so as to assess the real effects of domestic and foreign policy makers’ aversion to inflation. A main finding is that foreign central bank’s aversion to inflation always increases employment. The impact of domestic central bank’s aversion to inflation instead depends on the combination of three strategic effects.Foreign central bank conservatism, centralized wage setting, open-economy macro

Macroeconomic interdependence under collective wage bargaining

This paper uses a two-country, sticky-price model with non-atomistic wage setters to study the role of collective wage bargaining in the propagation of monetary shocks. I find that the welfare transmissions of a monetary expansion are reinforced by different labor market structures. Non-atomistic domestic unions anticipate that their wage demands raise real labor income through a movement of the terms of trade. This leads to an additional channel of transmission of monetary policy that goes through aggregate supply. Yet, workers benefit more from a monetary expansion when the exchange rate pass-through is not limited and the elasticity of substitution across traded goods is sizable. It follows that wage mark-ups charged by unions endogenously vary with those structural parameters. In particular, labor and product market distortions are strategic substitute in affecting the perceived labor demand elasticity.non-atomistic agents, interdependence, exchange rate fluctuation, wage setting

Monetary-Labor Interactions, International Monetary Regimes, and Central Bank Conservatism

A two-country general equilibrium model with large wage setters and conservative monetary authorities is employed to investigate the welfare implications of three international monetary regimes: i) non-cooperative, ii) cooperative, and iii) monetary union. The analysis shows that the unions’ wage claims depend on three strategic effects which are substantially different between the international policy arrangements. In contrast with recent studies, a switch from non-cooperation to monetary union is welfare improving with a sufficiently conservative central bank because unions perceive wage hikes as delivering lower terms-of-trade gains; while a switch from non-cooperation to cooperation is always beneficial because wage hikes do not yield any terms-of-trade gain. Finally, the paper qualifies Lippi’s (2003) findings.Central bank conservatism, non-atomistic wage setting, open-economy macro, monetary regime

Optimal monetary policy under a floating regime with non-atomistic wage setters

In a micro-founded framework in line with the new open economy macroeconomics, the paper shows that the monetary policies of the domestic and foreign CB are strategic complements and the presence of an inflation-averse central bank (CB) abroad always increases employment in the home country. We demonstrate that a centralized wage setting and CB conservatism curb unemployment only if labor market distortions are sizeable. When labor distortions are sufficiently low, employment may be maximized by atomistic wage setters or a populist CB. Finally, the welfare analysis reveals that a nationally centralized wage bargaining system always maximizes welfare if monopoly distortions in the labor market are relevant, while the appointment of a populist CB or completely decentralized wage setting is optimal when monopoly distortions are not sizeable.Central bank conservatism, centralization of wage setting, inflationary bias.

International monetary policy cooperation revisited: conservatism and non-atomistic wage setting

This paper presents a simple model of policy coordination in line with the New Open Economy Macroeconomics literature. I extent the analysis on non-cooperative toward cooperative solutions by incorporating a collective wage bargaining system and conservative central banks. It turns out that previous results on international monetary policy cooperation are modified such that cooperation is welfare improving. The finding in the model relies on wage setters’ perceptions about affecting monetary policy. It is shown that under cooperation wage setters perceive a tighter monetary policy, thereby inducing wage restraints.Monetary policy games , International policy coordination , Central bank conservatism, Monopoly unions

The welfare effect of foreign monetary conservatism with non-atomistic wage setters

This paper extends the closed economy analysis of strategic interaction between labor unions and the monetary authority in Lippi (REStud 2003) to a two-country open economy framework. It sheds light on the real effect of foreign central bank conservatism, which—through a strategic mechanism that operates via the terms of trade between the two independent monetary policy makers—entails wage moderation. The impact of domestic central bank conservatism hinges instead on the combination of three strategic effects.foreign central bank conservatism, centralized wage setting, open-economy macro

Optimal Exchange-Rate Targeting with Large Labor Unions

We study whether monetary policy should target the exchange rate in a two-country model with non-atomistic wage setters, non-traded goods and different degrees of exchange-rate pass through. Commitment to an exchange rate target reduces the labor market distortion. Large labor unions anticipate that higher wages depreciate the exchange rate, which triggers an increase in the interest rate and restrain wage demands. However, reduced exchange rate flexibility worsens the distortion stemming from preset pricing. Targeting the nominal exchange rate will be optimal when the labor market distortion is larger than the preset-pricing one. This result arises with cooperation both under producer and local currency pricing, even though the optimal degree of exchange-rate targeting is higher under local currency pricing. In the Nash equilibrium, the terms-of-trade effect raises optimal wage mark-ups thereby reducing the optimal weight on the exchange rate target. The terms-of-trade effect is stronger as openness and substitutability among Home and Foreign goods increase.Monetary policy, International Finance, Open-Economy Macroeconomics

Monetary-Labor Interactions, International Monetary Regimes, and Central Bank Conservatism

A two-country general equilibrium model with large wage setters and conservative monetary authorities is employed to investigate the welfare implications of three international monetary regimes: i) non-cooperative, ii) cooperative, and iii) monetary union. The analysis shows that the unions’ wage claims depend on three strategic effects which are substantially different between the international policy arrangements. In contrast with recent studies, a switch from non-cooperation to monetary union is welfare improving with a sufficiently conservative central bank because unions perceive wage hikes as delivering lower terms-of-trade gains; while a switch from non-cooperation to cooperation is always beneficial because wage hikes do not yield any terms-of-trade gain. Finally, the paper qualifies Lippi’s (2003) finding