scholarly journals Segmented Labor Markets and the Distributive Cycle: A Roadmap towards Inclusive Growth

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Matthieu Charpe ◽  
Peter Flaschel ◽  
Florian Hartmann ◽  
Christopher Malikane

The paper builds on the Goodwin (1967) model which describes the distributive cycle of capitalist economies whereby mass unemployment is generated periodically through the conflict about income distribution between capital and labor. We add to this model a segmented labor market structure with fluid, latent, and stagnant components. The model exhibits a unique balanced growth path which depends on the speeds with which workers are pushed into or out of the labor market segments. We investigate the stability properties of this growth path with segmented labor markets and find that, though there is a stabilizing inflation barrier term in the wage Phillips curve, the interaction with the latent and stagnant portions of the labor market generates potentially (slowly) destabilizing forces if policy measures are absent that regulate these labor markets. We then introduce an activating labor market policy, where government in addition acts as employer of last resort thereby eliminating the stagnant portion of the labor market, whilst erecting benefit systems that partially sustain the incomes of workers that have to leave the floating/latent labor market of the private sector of the economy. We show that such policies guarantee the macrostability of the economy’s balanced growth path.

2017 ◽  
Vol 01 (01) ◽  
pp. 1740005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Tao ◽  
Xiangjun Wu

The competitive economy, over a long time scale, would produce a large number of general equilibria, each of which can be regarded as a possible microstate of this economy. Then by the principle of maximum entropy, we can obtain the most probable macrostate which in the case of perfect competition involving a single industry will lead to a Solow-type aggregate production function. By this aggregate production function, one can make clear how labors match firms on the balanced growth path. Here, we prove that when the capital stock of a society arrives at the golden-rule level on the balanced growth path, the social employment will reach the best level at which every firm on average employs an optimal amount of workers.


2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 384-400 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thorsten Pampel

Abstract We show for a class of basic growth models that convergence in ratios does not imply the pathwise convergence to the corresponding balanced growth path in the state space. We derive conditions on parameters and on the elasticity of the savings function for convergence or divergence and apply our results to the Solow model, an augmented Solow model as well as to an optimal growth model. An implication for the convergence debate is that two economies that differ only in the initial capital stock and converge in per capita terms might diverge to infinity in absolute terms.


2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 297-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Büttner

Abstract Recent R&D growth models without strong scale effects imply that long-run growth rates depend only on parameters that are usually taken to be exogenous. However, integrating human capital accumulation into models of this type, Arnold (2002) demonstrates that subsidizing education accelerates growth. The present paper addresses welfare issues in Arnold’s model. The main theoretical finding of the paper is that a system of subsidies that implements the optimal balanced growth path as a decentralized equilibrium includes zero subsidies to education, while R&D activity should be either subsidized or taxed. To shed further light on the latter result, the model is calibrated and it turns out that along the balanced growth path, the decentralized economy underinvests in R&D, i.e. R&D activities should be subsidized.


2011 ◽  
Vol 16 (S3) ◽  
pp. 331-354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart McDonald ◽  
Jie Zhang

In this paper we explore how income inequality affects growth in a dynastic family model with bequests (physical capital) and investment in human capital for children. For tractability, we abstract from factor markets and focus on household production, which is prevalent in developing countries. We explore a joint distribution of bequests and human capital and track the evolution of income distribution across generations. We show that initial inequality has a positive indirect effect on average output growth by lowering the ratio of physical to human capital, besides its standard negative direct effect. If education is mainly privately (publicly) provided, then income inequality retards (promotes) growth outside the balanced growth path. On the balanced growth path, inequality always hinders growth.


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