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Eine keynesianische Analyse der Beschäftigungswirkung einer Arbeitszeitverkürzung
[A Keynesian analysis of the employment effects of a working time reduction]

Author

Listed:
  • Nägele, Johannes

Abstract

Recently, the debate about the employment effects of a working time reduction regained the public attention in Germany. Heiner Flassbeck and Friederike Spiecker commented that such a reduction of working-time leads to a falling household consumption due to the lower income of the employees while new men are not employed instantly. In the end, the creation of new jobs becomes obsolete as the sales of the companies shrink. Fritz Helmedag criticizes their analysis. He instead comes to the conclusion that it is necessary not only to adjust the wages to the productivity growth but also to reduce the working time by the same amount the productivity grows; otherwise a higher unemployment is implied under stagnating demand. In this paper it is shown that Helmedag´s analysis suffers from serious analytical inconsistencies. Firstly, his model can be identified as a Keynesian textbook model. For this reason, the relevance for policy conclusions can be seriously doubted. Secondly, the key elements of Flassbeck and Spiecker`s argumentation can be implemented in the model easily. Therefore even within Helmedag´s model the results can differ. Some results can also be attributed to an implicit price stability. Thirdly, the model´s assumptions are highly unrealistic. Furthermore, even basic accounting rules are disregarded as the balance of the primary incomes is missing. This appears to be especially paradox when the core element of Helmedag´s approach is stock-flow consistency. After this examination of Helmedags work, an alternative Keynesian analysis – although heuristic – is provided. It turns out that a working time reduction can lead to significant positive employment effects. Nevertheless, it depends on the concrete shape of the conduction. Considering the current political landscape, heading towards more fiscal stimulus should be preferred to a reduction of working time.

Suggested Citation

  • Nägele, Johannes, 2017. "Eine keynesianische Analyse der Beschäftigungswirkung einer Arbeitszeitverkürzung [A Keynesian analysis of the employment effects of a working time reduction]," MPRA Paper 82109, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:82109
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jennifer Hunt, 1999. "Has Work-Sharing Worked in Germany?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 114(1), pages 117-148.
    2. John Y. Campbell & N. Gregory Mankiw, 1989. "Consumption, Income, and Interest Rates: Reinterpreting the Time Series Evidence," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 1989, Volume 4, pages 185-246, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Quaas, Georg, 2007. "Das Saldenmechanische Modell von Fritz Helmedag und die Empirie," Wirtschaftsdienst – Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik (1949 - 2007), ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 87(6), pages 406-412.
    4. Olivier Blanchard & Christopher J. Erceg & Jesper Lindé, 2017. "Jump-Starting the Euro-Area Recovery: Would a Rise in Core Fiscal Spending Help the Periphery?," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(1), pages 103-182.
    5. Helmedag, Fritz, 2007. "Gesamtwirtschaftliche Bestimmungsgründe der Gewinne und des Arbeitsvolumens," Wirtschaftsdienst – Zeitschrift für Wirtschaftspolitik (1949 - 2007), ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 87(6), pages 412-416.
    6. Quaas, Georg, 2007. "Vom Regen in die Traufe – eine Analyse der neusten Version des „Saldenmechanischen Modells“ von Fritz Helmedag [Out of the frying pan and into the fire – An analysis of the latest version of the so," MPRA Paper 65341, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2015.
    7. Dean Baker, 2011. "Work Sharing: The Quick Route Back to Full Employment," CEPR Reports and Issue Briefs 2011-15, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR).
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    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    work-sharing; working hours; unemployment; employment; Germany; Keynesianism; Saldenmechanik;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E66 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - General Outlook and Conditions
    • J22 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Time Allocation and Labor Supply
    • J23 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Labor Demand
    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General

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