This paper explores the two common concepts of the natural rate of unemployment: (i) the stable, long-run equilibrium rate of unemployment; and (ii) the equilibrium unemployment rate at which there is no tendency for this rate to change, given the exogenous variables. The first concept (common...

This paper examines transition dynamics in a search economy. We contrast two extreme cases: a completely unexpected reform and a fully anticipated reform. We view the former as a metaphor for a reform being announced and implemented with immediate effect, the latter as a metaphor for a reform...

We analyse a model in which a government uses a second-best policy to affect the reallocation of labour, following a change in relative prices. We consider two extreme cases, in which the government has either unlimited or negligible ability to commit to future actions. We explain why the...

This paper investigates the extent to which expansion of international production by US multinationals reduces labour demand at home and at other foreign locations in the presence of labour adjustment costs. The adjustment-cost model of the firm is applied to estimate short-run and long-run...

We study the dynamics of optimal trade policy in a model with costly inter-sectoral adjustment of labour, where migrants pay less than the marginal social cost of migration. If workers have rational expectations, a future tariff has an announcement effect on the current migration decision. If...

This paper examines the effects of three alternative rules for public investment on output growth in a model with private and public capital. The rules considered are: (i) a fixed ratio of public capital to output; (ii) a fixed growth rate for public capital; and (iii) a fixed ratio of public...