Question 2: Do you agree that the different behaviour of UK real wages relative to Eurozone wages during the Great Recession is in large part due to the UK having different labour market policies?
The evidence for the UK indicates an increase in UK labor supply during the Great Recession probably due to reductions in household sector wealth (see.g. Blundell, Crawford and Jin, EJ, 2014). UK labor markets are also more flexible than they were 20 or 30 years ago which probably means a more pronounced drop in UK real wages in this recession. However, many European countries have also become more flexible over time (eg. Germany) so it is less clear how this should impact on the relative performance of the UK economy. Surprisingly, in the UK there is no evidence that the drop in real wages derive from compositional changes.
What matters is (a) real wages RELATIVE to productivity, and (b) real wage flexibility. Real wage growth may be high but not obstructing employment growth if productivity growth is high.
If the question is meant to be whether low real wage growth relative to productivity is good for employment, I would agree under normal circumstances. Wages is the single largest component of marginal costs for most firms. High real wages relative to productivity make firms uncompetitive, has a negative impact on hiring, and makes it difficult for new workers to enter the labour market.
The other way of asking the question, is whether wage flexibility is beneficial for employment. In normal times, wage flexibility should be expected to be stabilizing. To the extend that the value of jobs has declined in the recession, low real wage growth therefore should be expected to have been beneficial for employment. It is possible, however, that in deep recessions, the impact of wage flexibility on demand for goods may introduce an amplification mechanism that may dominate. This will depend crucially on whether wages of existing or new jobs are more flexible and the extent to which workers are insured against the adverse effects of job loss.
It is clear that there are huge regional disparities in the UK with London and the South East outperforming other regions. It is less clear that such disparities can be addressed in the most efficient manner by regional policies. I would suggest again that investment in education and in infrastructure may be more effective.
The CFM surveys informs the public about the views held by prominent economists based in Europe on important macroeconomic and public policy questions. Some surveys focus specifically on the UK economy (as the CFM is a UK research centre), but surveys can in principle focus on any macroeconomic question for any region. The surveys shed light on the extent to which there is agreement or disagreement among these experts. An important motivation for the survey is to give a more comprehensive overview of the beliefs held by economists and in particular to include the views of those economists whose opinions are not frequently heard in public debates.
Questions mainly focus on macroeconomic and public policy topics. Although there are some questions that focus specifically on the UK economy, the setup of the survey is much broader and considers questions related to other countries/regions and also considers questions not tied to a specific economy.
The surveys are done in collaboration with the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR).
Global risks from rising debt and asset prices
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Question 2: Is the loose monetary policy of major central banks responsible for the recent increase in global leverage or asset values?
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Question 1: Does the world economy face heightened risks arising from an excess of public and private debt and/or inflated asset prices?
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Wages and economic recoveries
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Question 2: Do you agree that the different behaviour of UK real wages relative to Eurozone wages during the Great Recession is in large part due to the UK having different labour market policies?
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Question 1: Do you agree that lower real wage growth was beneficial for employment levels during the Great Recession?
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A “new” UK industrial strategy ?
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Question 2: Do you agree that the UK needs a new regional policy?
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