Economics Research Institute Study Paper
Utah State University Department of Economics
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Staggered price-setting and staggered wage-setting are commonly viewed as similar mechanisms in generating persistent real effects of monetary shocks. In this paper, we distinguish the two mechanisms in a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium framework. We show that, although the dynamic price-setting and wage-setting equations are alike, a key parameter governing persistence is linked to the underlying preferences and technologies in different ways. Under staggered wage-setting, an intertemporal smoothing incentive in labor hours prevents the households from adjusting their wages too quickly in response to an aggregate demand shock, while such incentives are absent under staggered price-setting. With reasonable parameter values, the staggered price mechanism by itself is incapable of, while the staggered wage mechanism plays an important role in generating persistence.
Huang, Kevin X.D. and Liu, Zheng, "Staggered Price-Setting, Staggered Wage-Setting, and Business Cycle Persistence" (2000). Economic Research Institute Study Papers. Paper 204.