Macroeconomic Causes of Unemployment: Diagnosis and Policy Recommendations

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This conference volume deals with one of the most severe economic, social and political problems major European economies face since the early nineties, the problem of lasting high unemployment. Contrary to the current German discussion, solely concentrating on microeconomic explanations and therapy recommendations, this volume presents papers based on various macro-economic points of view, showing different ways out of the employment crisis. Apart from renowned German economists, some well-known international academics participated in the 1998 Berlin symposium, to learn from experience in other countries. The first chapter contains the main standard textbook models and paradigms explaining lasting high unemployment. The question in the second chapter is if it is possible to fight unemployment with the help of macro policy on a purely national basis in the presence of global markets. The third chapter indicates possible effects of misalignments in financial markets on economic growth and employment. The contributions of the fourth chapter present experiences of other countries, which have succeeded in recent years in lowering their unemployment rates. The question at issue is, if these concepts can be transferred to Germany. The topics of the concluding chapter are practical macroeconomic starting points for sustainable employment growth in Europe. The methods contradict supply side arguments for the stabilisation of employment predominant in the German discussion. Attention is focused on relations between the role of monetary and fiscal policy in close conjunction with wage policy. Furthermore it is made evident that in global markets a theoretical macroeconomic concept as a base for sustainable employment is not very promising without enhanced international co-operation.