Real Unit Labor Costs Differentials in EMU+L4700 : How Big, How Benign and How Reversible? /

Real unit labor costs (RULC) growth differentials between euro area members have persisted since EMU began and even widened out in the run-up to the crisis. This paper focuses on the causes underlying such dispersion. According to our empirical findings, persistent RULC growth differentials can be a...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lebrun, Igor
Other Authors: Perez Ruiz, Esther
Format: Journal
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2011.
Series:IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2011/109
Online Access:Full text available on IMF
Description
Summary:Real unit labor costs (RULC) growth differentials between euro area members have persisted since EMU began and even widened out in the run-up to the crisis. This paper focuses on the causes underlying such dispersion. According to our empirical findings, persistent RULC growth differentials can be attributed to divergent evolutions in capital-output ratios, nominal effective exchange rates and country-specific institutional features, coupled with an increased sensitivity of RULC to fundamentals following the shift in the monetary regime. Because these RULC growth discrepancies in EMU partly result from heterogeneous structural characteristics, policy action seeking more homogenous regulation across the euro area can make a significant contribution to reduce them.
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Physical Description:1 online resource (27 pages)
Format:Mode of access: Internet
ISSN:1018-5941
Access:Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students