Using unit labor cost (ULC) data from Euro area countries as well as US States and German Länder we investigate inflation convergence using different approaches, namely panel unit root tests, cointegration tests and error-correction models. All in all we cannot reject convergence of ULC growth...

Inflation differentials in the Euro area are mainly due to a sustained divergence of wage developments across the Euro area, and narrower differences in labour productivity growth (Alvarez et al., 2006). We investigate convergence of inflation using unit labour cost (ULC) growth and applying...

Globalization, Interstate Competition, and Labor -- The State Role in Labor Costs -- Explaining State Differences in Labor Cost Trends -- The Economic Effects of Cutting Labor Costs -- Social and Political Consequences of Declining Labor Costs -- Conclusion