Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2011 with funding from MIT Libraries http://www.archive.org/details/monopolisticcomp401blan DEC working paper department of economics MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, AGGREGATE DEMAND EXTERNALITIES AND REAL EFFECTS OF NOMINAL MONEY Olivier J. Blanchard Nobuhiro Kiyotaki .__ Mojjonhoj- 108! massachusetts institute of technology 50 memorial drive Cambridge, mass. 02139 4 1986 MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, AGGREGATE DEMAND EXTERNALITIES AND REAL EFFECTS OF NOMINAL MONEY Olivier J. Blanchard Nobuhiro Kiyotaki No. 401 November 1985 Monopolistic competition, aggregate demand externalities and effects of nominal money real Olivier J. Blanchard and Nobuhiro Kiyotaki November 19B5 * MIT and University of Wisconsin-Madison. We thank Andy Abel, Rudi Dornbusch, Hall, Jeff Sachs, Larry Summers and Marty Weitzman ior useful discussions. Bob ABSTRACT A long standing issue in macroeconomics it that of competition to fluctuations in output. monopolistic competition and the role output. We first show that monopol 1 st the relation of this paper we examine the relation between In of aggregate demand cal 1 y that is small in the determination of competitive economies exhibit an aggregate demand externality. Me then show that, because menu costs, imperfect of this externality, small costs of changing prices may lead to large effects of aggregate demand on output and on welfare. A long standing issue in macroeconomi ci ii thit of competition to fluctuations in output. monopolistic competition and the role output. We first show that monopol aggregate demand externality. menu costs, that is small i st We then cost of the relation of imperfect this paper we examine the relation between In of aggregate demand in the determination cal 1 of competitive economies exhibit an y because of this externality, show that, changing prices may lead to large effects small of aggregate demand on output and on welfare. The paper organized as follows. is Section I builds a simple general equilibrium model, with monopolistic competition in both labor and goods markets, nominal money | it then characterizes the equilibrium. Section II and with characterizes the inefficiency associated with monopolistic competition and shows the inefficiency to be due to an in aggregate demand externality. nominal money, order, costs of Section III studies the effects of changes when money is the numeraire, changing prices. It and when there are small, shows that changes in nominal first order effects on output and welfare, second money may have shows the close relation between this and result and the results obtained in Section II. Section I. We want to construct market but small of A model monopolistic competition of a model in which each price setter is large in its own with respect to the economy. monopolistic competition. The most convenient assumption The simplest model of is that monopolistic competition, for our i purposes, would be one of households using labor to produce differentiated goods. However, because we want to focus later on both wage and price decisions, and want the model to be easily comparable to the standard with both households and firms, model labor and goods markets are monopol i st macroeconomi 1 y competitive. which is an imperfect substitute for other products model, we construct Each firm sells product a each household sells | a type of The assumption of labor which is an imperfect substitute for other types. monopolistic competition in both sets of transparence rather than for realism. Although we choose to interpret suppliers labor as individual unions or syndicates markets is made for symmetry and of households, an alternative interpretation is to think of them as (as in Hart (1982)). The second choice follows from the need to avoid Say's law, the supply of a Both labor and goods markets. and with separate cal c goods produced by the monopol i sti cal 1 or the result that competitive firms automatically y generates its own demand. To avoid this, we must allow agents to have the choice between consumption model, of these goods and something else. the choice is between consumption and savings. competition, for example), the choice is between produced goods and or between produced goods and leisure In In a the standard macroeconomi other models of monopolistic non produced good (Starts 19BS). assume that the choice is between buying goods and holding money. and most crudely achieved by having real agents. Thus, c Here, (Hart, we 1 982 shall This is most simply money balances in the utility function of money plays the role of the non produced good and provides services 12 A Clower constraint would lead to similar results. Developing an explicitly intertemporal model just to justify why money is positively valued does not seem worth the additional complexity here. There are however differences between money and a non produced good, ^hich arise from the fact that real, not nominal money balances enter utility we shall point out differences as we go along. . firm Money is alio the numeraire, to that terms of money will play essentially no role this will ; and workers quote prices and wages in this and the next section, in but become important in Section III The third choice is to make assumptions about utility and technology which lead to demand and pricing relations which are as close to traditional so as to allow an easy comparison with standard macroeconomi c ones as possible, models. This however sometimes requires strong restrictions on utility and technology, which we shall indicate as we go along. The model 3 The economy is composed of firms, m each producing imperfect substitute for the other goods, and short, each of them owning other types. As a result, a n a specific good which is an consumer- workers, households for labor which is an imperfect substitute for the type of each firm has some monopoly power when and each worker has some monopoly power when he sets his wage*. it sets its price, We now describe the problem faced by each firm and each household. Fi_rms_ are indexed by Y, = i = [ N,j ~~c~ ( j The model , = l,...,m. cr-1 n (1) i cr ) "F^l Each firm i has the following technology 1_ a l can De viewed as an extension of the Di xi t-St i gl i tz (1977) monopolistic competition to macroeconomics. Since in equilibrium each labor supplier sells some of his labor to all firms, it is again more appropriate to think of labor suppliers as craft unions rather than individual workers. However since we want to analyze labor supply and consumption decisions simultaneously, we shall continue to refer to iabor suppliers as "consumer-workers" or "households". model of : Yi denotes the output of firm used in the production of output j «= i. i. entering symmetrically 5 j denotes the quantity There are The production function l,...,n. Ni is a n CES production function, parameter is a equal to the the elasticity of marginal for short follows-. what in ourselves to the case where or substitution demand for each type of of j indexed with all j, inputs . to the elasticity of elasticity labor of type different types of labor, The two parameters characterising the technology are « and equal of of inputs in production a. | The parameter it will alio be the labor with respect to the relative wage. inverse of the degree of returns to scale o-l | a is an The will cost with respect to output -elasticity of marginal To guarantee the existence of is c be cost equilibrium, we limit strictly greater than unity and where equal to a is i are given by greater than unity. Each period, (2) Pi the firm maximises profits. V, = P,Y, denotes the nominal associated with labor type function (1). It output price of firm j. The firm maximises takes as given nominal i. (2) Wj denotes the nominal wage subject to the production wages and the prices of the other outputs. a below as result of utility maximisation by households. We assume that the number firms is large enough that taking other prices as given is equivalent to taking the price level It downward sloping demand schedule for its product, which will be derived also faces a profits for firm Nominal as given. We take the numDer of firms as given. The issue of ixed costs of production can therefore be left aside. whether there are of Houieholdi are indexed by j, j supplies labor derives utility fro« leisure, consumption and real money balances. It {unction is given by (3) Uj « (Cj) where Cj >= ( 1-K = 6 ., ( d, e 6-i I _1_ i-e E P« 1_ m i is "1 consumption index -basket- which gives the effect a goods on utility. household a Cj is CEB function of utility symmetrically. 1-6 ) the consumption of j. | the Cij's. is 6 good with respect to its relative price. is All types of the elasticity of parameter between zero and one. Nominal price index associated with Cj. We substitution between demand for each type To guarantee existence of shall real an money balances on utility. equilibrium, labor supplied by household is assumed to be equal j. p-1 to or is V is a money balances &re deflated by the nominal refer to P as the price level. The third term in utility gives the disutility from work. p by restricted to be greater than unity. The second term gives the effect of ; i of consumption goods enter also be the elasticity of will it denotes the consumption of good Cij The parameter consumption goods in utility of Its utility l m « The first term, j. Nj e-i E Ci i P type P (Mj'/P) in and of i * 6 Household »l,...,n. j the elasticity of greater than unity 67 Nj marginal is the amount of disutility . " The assumption that utility is homogeneous of degree one in consumption and real money balances, as well as additively separable in consumption and 'eal money balances on the one hand and leisure on the other is made to eliminate income effects on labor supply. Under these assumptions, competitive labor supply would just be a function of the real wage, using the price index lefined in the text. It also implies that utility is linear in income this acilitates welfare evaluations. For reasons which will be clear below, we shall exclude the case where i of labor Households maximise utility subject to prices and other wages as given. a budget constraint. Again we assume that is n other wages as given is equivalent to taking the nominal faces downward demand schedule a result o-f maximisation by pro-fit its type 'for o-f C, + j denotes the initial going to household T alto which will be derived as the is Mj ' «= Wj Nj + hj endowment o-f money. + E V, i-1 given by i V«j j is the share by the equilibrium is given in the appendix. o-f o-f pro-fits o-f -firm i -for goods and labor and by The relation between real expenditures, which we shall (5) = Y Y £ ( (M/P) K E j=l E i-1 are equal call aggregate demand -for Cu pair o-f short, )/P and P £ (d/m) E 1-6 Pi _1_ > 1-e i»l -for to unity, goods and labor are given by i a_ price and wage rules aggregate consumption where m Pi The demand -functions p a money balances and real m n (6) The equilibrium can relation between real money balances and aggregate demand, a pair of demand -functions and It he equilibrium be characterised a as given. j. The derivation Doth wage level m E Pi i-1 Mj large enough that taking The budget constraint -firms. m (4) labor, Each household takes is given by : : -e C (7) (P. /P) (M/P) Kc Nj (8) (M/P) Kn where the wage index n = W (9) (l_ n (W.,/W) given by is W 1-ff E Wj J«l j «=[ (11) (Wj/W) =[ (M/P) )K~ (P/W) (M/P) r The letters K, Kc , K„, KP , ) l , . . . ,m . ,m (l/(l+e(«f-l) 1 (1/ (l+tr(p-l) on actual money gives equation its nominal elasticity (-6). index, labor is function with elasticity the firms and households, money a linear in equilibrium, desired money good relative to aggregate demand is a function of price to the nominal price index, the price level, with The demand for a the parameters of (5). labor by firms is depends on the demand for goods and thus on real type of l,...,n money balances and consumption expenditures. The demand for each type of the ratio of of = starting with the relation between real Aggregating over households and using the fact that, equal ) First order conditions for households imply balances and aggregate demand. relation between desired real ) j ] K„ are constants which depend interpret these equations, ) i-i,. ..,(n technology and the utility function as well as the number We ) ] o(p-l) 1 . : (w/P) cr/ (cr- . 1-ff <e/ (e-i) )K P ( , J_ ) or- (p,/p) l i The price and wage rules are given by (io) B -a o » i (-a). of the ratio of a derived demand for labor money balances. its nominal ; it The demand for each wage to the nominal wage We now consider the pr i ce rul e Given the price level, each firm is . with non increasing returns to scale and decides about P,/P. increase in the real wage An its real a monopolist -or relative- price shifts the marginal cost curve upward, (W/P) leading to an increase in the relative price. increase in real An shifts the demand curve for each product upward ; if money balances the firm operates under strictly decreasing returns, the marginal cost curve is upward sloping and the relative price increases. the firm operates under If constant returns, the shift in aggregate demand has no effect on its relative price. We finally consider the wage rule utility maximisation problem their wealth, homogenous wealth, think of households as solving their They first Bolve for the allocation of two steps. including labor income, between consumption of the different products money balances. and real in We can . After this step, the assumption that utility is linearly consumption and real money balances implies that utility is linear in in thus linear in labor income. supply and the nominal wage. The next step is to solve for the level Given that utility is linear in labor income, of labor we can think of households as monopolists maximising the surplus from supplying labor. Formally, in if denotes the constant marginal utility u the second step The real (Wj/W) (W/P). as well as a Nj = Kn(M/P) wage relevant for worker j is Wj/P, Nj The demand for real real wealth, households solve : P u<Wj/P) max of labor of money balances (M/P) type j is a -U (Wj/W) which we can write as the product function of the relative wage (Wj/W) An increase in the aggregate real wage thus to decrease its relative wage labor supply, balances leads, Mage. If p is (W/P) if is p (Wj/W). An j H the marginal disutility workers supply more labor at the same relative wage, in of increase its to increase in real money strictly greater than unity, to an increase to unity, equal leads household the relative in labor is constant, response to an increase in aggregate demand. Symmetric equilibrium Equilibrium and symmetry, both across all •firms relative prices and all relative wages must be equal to unity. for all i and Wj = for W all j, and substituting implies that and across households, in equations (10) Thus, and using (11) Pi gives = : r-i (12) (P/W) = (6/(0-1)) (13) (W/P) = (cr/ KP (M/P) K„ (M/P) b(P-1) Equation (12), (o—l> ) which is obtained from the individual price rules and the requirement that all prices be the same gives the price wage ratio function of real money balances. If (P/W) as a firms operate under strictly decreasing returns, the price wage ratio is an increasing function of the level money balances. consistent with firms' behavior a Equi val ent decreasing function of 1 y , real the real wage (W/P) money balances. We shall of output, thus of real refer to equation (12) as "aggregate price rule". Equation (13), which is obtained from the individual requirement that all wages be the same aives the real waae wage rules and the (W/P) as a function of is the P FIGURE 1. THE MONOPOLI ST1CALLY COMPETITIVE EQUILIBRIUM. tcgf^/p) wi ty V ( z. -tea **e (m/?)+ i~u\t Lo»ii-AMh) 10 real money balance*. If it p strictly greater than unity, that if increasing marginal disutility of work, an increase in leads to an increase in the derived demand for labor, real wage. The real •function of real wage consistent with households' money balances. We shall real if workers have money balances, which requires an increase in the behavior is an increasing refer to equation (13) as the "aggregate wage rule". Equilibrium values (W/P) of and (M/P) are obtained from equations The equilibrium value of output follows from graphically As vertical in Figure 1. axis and log(MVP) horizontal axis. I f a and (12) (or p and (13) are (5). log (12) we measure linear, logY as the two are linearly related) are both strictly greater than unity, equilibrium determines the real wage and real money balances. level of Given real log(W/P) on the the the aggregate wage Given nominal The money, it money balances, we obtain the equilibrium 1 looks very much like the characterization of equilibrium under per-fect competition, with an upward labor supply curve and is on aggregate demand and output. Figure What (13). The equilibrium is characterised rule is upward sloping while the aggregate price rule is downward sloping. determines the price level. and therefore the effect we now turn. of a downward sloping labor demand. monopolistic competition ? This is the issue to which i 11 Section Inefficiency and externalities 2. Comparing monopolistic competition and perfect competition To characterize the inefficiency associated with monopolistic competition, first compare the equilibrium to the competitive equilibrium. we The competitive equilibrium is derived under the same assumptions about tastes, technology and the number of firms and households, but assuming that each firm its price (wage) as given when deciding about its output (labor). The competitive equilibrium is very similar to the monopol one. The demand functions for goods and labor are still (B). The price and wage rules are identical the absence of 6/(0-1) rules (the constant in terms 1 st , K„ , Kp , KM and to equations K cal 1 y competitive given by equations and (10) (11), the price rules and the absence of o7(o— 1) Kc takes (each household) in (7) and except for the wage are the same in both equilibria). (The derivation is left to the reader). The explanation is simple. The term 6/(0-1) is excess of price over marginal firms in the goods market cost. ; if cost, reflecting the degree of monopoly power of the firms act competitively, price is instead equal to marginal The same explanation applies to households. Again, to be the symmetry requires same terms 6/(0-1) ; in in equilibrium all nominal prices and all nominal wages this gives equations identical to (12) the aggregate price rule and o7(cr-l) in and (13), but without the the aggregate wage rule. The price wage ratio consistent with firms' behavior is lower in the competitive case by 6/(6-1) at any level of real money balances (output); the real household's behavior is lower in the competitive case by wage consistent with cr/((j-l) at any level of real ) FIGURE 2. MONOPOLISTICALLY COMPETITIVE AND COMPETITIVE EQUILIBRIA, ioo, (\*j/f) ( t A^err } °$f<r/u- ^>j>f^ ) ) fyyf* eo$(M/p) + co»*~t i i 12 money balances. The monopol i cal *t price rulet are drawn in Figure A gives the monopol i sti cal The equilibrium level equilibrium j 1 1 competitive and competitive aggregate wage and y Point 2. gives the competitive equilibrium, point A' competitive equilibrium. y money balances real of the price level higher. is is lower in the monopolistic Employment and output are lower. What happens to the real wage is ambiguous and depends on the degrees of monopoly power in H, the goods and the labor markets. for example, there is monopolistic competition in the goods market but perfect competition is unambiguously lower under monopolistic competition. Denoting by the ratio of R equilibrium to output in the labor market, output in the monopol i at cal the competitive equilibrium, in is R 1 wage then the real competitive y given by i 1 r = { _£-j_ _e-j. is an < increasing function of cr the competitive equilibrium. or the R is is R small labor markets can have a : an The higher the elasticity of and 6. substitution between goods or between types both close to unity, 1 e tr R cxp-i ) of labor, the closer increasing function of the economy to is and p. o the existence of monopoly power in If a and p are either the goods large effect on equilibrium output. Aggregate demand externalities Under monopolistic competition, low. We have shown output of monopol i sti cal 1 y produced goods is too above that this follows from the existence of monopoly power in price and wage setting. An alternative way from an aggregate demand externality. of thinking about it is that it follows y i . 13 The argument each price price it and follows : in the monopol i st cal 1 competitive y equilibrium, setter has, given other prices, no incentive to decrease its own (wage) (wage) as increase its output decrease their prices simultaneously aggregate demand. (labor). i Suppose however that all this increases real money balances and The increase in output reduces the initial distortion underproduction and underemployment and increases social welfare We now make the argument of 63 By the definition of more precise. price setters . a monopol i st i cal 1 competitive equilibrium, no firm has an incentive to decrease its price, and no worker has an incentive to decrease its wage, given other prices and wages. now a proportional all i and 1 j, decrease all in which leaves all wages and all prices, (dPi/Pi) «(dW,/Wj) Consider < , for relative prices unchanged but decreases the price evel Consider first the change in the real output and employment, the real value of firms' '. 5 At a value of each firm is unchanged. price level however increases real given level The decrease in the money balances and aggregate demand. shifts outward the demand curve faced by each firm and increases profit in demand at Thus, a the real This in turn : an increase given relative price increases profit as price exceeds marginal value of each firm increases. An alternative way of stating the argument is as follows If starting from the monopol sti cal y competitive equilibrium, a firm decreased its price, this would lead to a small decrease in the price level and thus to a small increase in aggregate demand. While the other firms and households would benefit from this increase in aggregate demand, the original firm cannot capture these benefits and thus has no incentive to decrease its price. We have chosen to present the argument in the text to facilitate comparison with the argument of Section III. What happens to the real value of firms is obviously of no direct relevance for welfare. This step is however required to characterize what happens to the utility of households below. : l of 1 cost. i 14 Consider then the effect utility of each household. of a proportional reduction Consider household j. of pricei and wages on the We have seen that, once the household has chosen the allocation of his wealth between real money balances and consumption, we can write its utility asi P Uj where the u(I.i/P) <= th household. j Nj the constant marginal is u - utility [p Utility utility- <Wj/P)Nj - we have seen j Hi the sum of is aggregate demand. real Using the budget constraint, Thus, wealth and I, we can express the total is utility as wealth o-f : m p « Uj of + ] u E V,j/P i-1 three terms. + (Mj/P) u The second is profit income -in terms increase that each firm's profit goes up after an this term increases. surplus from supplying labor. At a of in The first term is the household's given level of employment, Nj, change in wages and prices leaves this term unchanged. the proportional But the increase in aggregate demand and the implied derived increase in employment implies that this term increases : at a given real wage, an outward shift in the demand for labor increases utility as the real wage initially exceeds the marginal utility term is the real level. 10 Thus, of leisure. value of the money stock, which increases with the fall utility unambiguously increases 10 . Note that, if we were performing the same experiment in the neighborood not of the monopol i st cal 1 y competitive but of the competitive equilibrium, the first two terms would be equal to zero. The third one would however still oe present. This is one of the implications of our use of real money as the non produced good. If real money enters utility, then the competitive equilibrium 15 not a Pareto optimum, as a small decrease in the price level increases welfare. This inefficiency of the competitive equilibrium disappears if money is replaced by a non produced good, while the aggregate deamand externality under monopolistic competition remains valid (see Kiyotaki 19B4). in The third the price 1 15 The notion of It an aggregate demand externality has been formalised in various recent papers) surface relatively little in common, an is idea in macroeconomics. old although these papers have on the they share the following properties i increase in one agent's activity increases the activity level and welfare general a increase in activity, may be welfare improving 11 . if Diamond it ( can be engineered, 9B2 builds ) by of others j taxation or other means, macroeconomi a an c where trade model takes place through search and shows that increased search by one trader has externalities as trade. Starts it increases the probability for other traders to find (1964) builds a macroeconomi observe effort by individual workers. c model profitable which firms can not directly in This leads to a payment scheme which has the a implication that the optimal amount effort for each worker depends on the level effort put in by other workers. In both cases, a small of increase in activity is welfare improving. Identifying the inefficiency associated with monopolistic competition as an aggregate demand externality does not however imply that movements in demand affect output. 12 (12) and (13) Consider for example changes in nominal are homogeneous of degree zero in P, W and fl , money nominal aggregate . As equations money is obviously neutral, affecting all nominal prices and wages proportionately and leaving output and employment unchanged 11 12 best 13 13 . Thus something else is needed to obtain real similar point is made by Cooper and As we have not specified how money is to think of them as helicopter drops. A John [1985]. introduced in this economy, it is Here, and in the next section, instead of focusing on the effects of aggregate demand on output in general, we focus for convenience on the more narrow question of whether changes in nominal money have real effects. The •esults here and in the next section would apply eoually to non monetary pure aggregate demand shifts, i.e. shifts which leave labor supply unchanged at a mven real wage, where the real wage is defined as the wage in terms of the :onsumption basket. If we modify the utility function to be 16 effects of nominal money. We examine the effects of costs of price letting in the next section. 1-* * Uj » (C.i ) ( (Hj/P)+e) p - Hi P « Then shifts in t will shift the demand for goods given real money balances, while leaving labor supply unchanged at a given real wage and are therefore pure aggregate demand shocks. By contrast, shifts in V are not pure aggregate deamnd shocks. 17 Section 3. Menu costs and real We now introduce small effects of nominal money costs of setting prices, small There are "menu" coBts. obviously costs to changing prices, which range from the cost of changing tags and printing new catalogs to gathering the information needed to choose the new prices, informing new customers these costs, of these prices and so on. which cannot be very large, This section shows that they may. activity in important macroeconomi is c whether effects. menu costs may imply large movements in response to demand, and may have large welfare effects'*. The first part of nominal Small can have The question however money, the section formalizes the argument for small changes in and shows the close relation between the aggregate demand externality argument of the previous section and the argument presented in this section. second part considers larger changes in nominal money, The and focuses on the effects of structural parameters on the ratio of output and welfare effects to menu costs. 14 We are not the first to make this point. Mankiw (19B5) has pointed out under imperfect competition, private and social costs of price setting could differ substantially, leaving open the possibility of large welfare effects of demand changes. Akerlof and Yellen (19B5a, 19B5b) have emphasized the potential welfare effects of near rationality under imperfect competition. Decision makers are said to be "near rational" if they react to changes in the environment only if not reacting would entail a first order loss. As Akerlof and Yellen point out however, near rationality can be described as full rationality subject to second order costs of taking decisions, so that their analysis is directly relevant to this section. Dur contribution is to point out the relation to the aggregate demand externality emphasized in the last section, and because our model is more explicitly based on utility and profit maximisation, to give a more detailed welfare analysis. that, le The effects of small changes by considering We start money nominal in the effects of small * change nominal in At dM, The argument proceeds starting from the equilibrium described in the first section. as follows money, i nominal the initial change in aggregate demand, thus to a thu6 a change in nominal in money leads to change in the demand facing each firm, the change in output demand is satisfied, demand for labor, prices and wages, the change implies in turn If change in the derived a the demand facing each worker. UnlesB firms Unless operate under constant returns, each firm wants to change its relative price. workers have constant marginal utility of relative wage. leisure, its relative price is of second order who does not adjust his relative wage. the argument is effects on welfare j coincidence is not accidental and we return to first. : Vi over = Pi Let Vi Vi (P, : be Vi* = a direct application the value of ,P,W,M) . money. prices The second part of money balances has first order Let V,* Vi*(P,W,M). firm be i. and of The argument has very much the same structure the aggregate demand externality argument of is worker show that the effect on welfare is indeed first order, we the same sign as the change in money. The first part a The implication is that nominal that the change in real to show the utility of Thus second order menu costs may prevent firms wages do not adjust to the change in nominal and nominal firm which does not adjust a the same is true of ; and workers from adjusting prices and wages. as each worker wants to change his show however that the loss in value to We a V« is of a the previous section it ; this below. the envelope theorem. function of the maximised value of Pi firm as i, The envelope theorem then says that well Consider firms as of P, W and after maximisation : M FIGURE to* 3. AGGREGATE DEMAND EXTERNALITIES AND MENU COSTS (P/m) V p/m ) K> &>$(?/*') t**f%Y \ouiS. - oua*~) h>f)(v-/M>) e°$(t>jM) VC*) ^vo^'f . b^-CPJh) i i 19 dV.Vdtl To 8V./SM - first order, a same whether or not it + (8V,/8Pi) (dPi/dH) the effect of a 4V./4M change in the value of the firm is the adjusts its price optimally in response to the change Exactly the same argument applies to the utility menu costs on M of the household. H, second order Thus, larger than the second order loss in utility or in value) (but in will prevent each firm from changing its price given other prices and wages and each worker from changing its wage given other prices and wages. all nominal implies a implication is that prices and wages remain unchanged and that the increase in nominal money proportional increase What remains to be shown in real money balances. that the change in real is first order effects on welfare. aggregate demand and employment, raises from supplying labor. stical 1 y Thus, it money balances has positive However, as we have already shown in the previous section, the increase in real money balances, monopol The f associated with the increase rms prof ' increases welfare i in ts and the households' the neighborood of in surpluses the competitive equilibrium. The relation between aggregate demand externalities and the argument of section is illustrated using the diagram in Figure Figure function of 3 plots the price rule the price level. (10) . giving the price chosen by firm The logarithm of while the logarithm of the price of the 3 ,= th i this the price level is on i as a the vertical firm is on the horizontal one \ axis both are The reason why the argument below is only an illustration is that it only looks at taking the real wage as given it is thus only a partial equilibrium argument. The argument would be a general equilibrium one if we were looking at an economy composed of louseholds, each producing a differentiated good. firms, ; 20 measured as ratios to nominal money. The price rule is drawn tor (assumed to be set at its monopol (W/P) as log(P«/M) a linear function of firm (Pi/M) of and (P/M) The symmetric monopol lfc . intersection i sti cal log(P/M). price rule has slope greater than one. combinations i 1 1 y of profit for the real competitive equilibrium is given by the the price rule and the 45 degree line, of monopoly power, the iioprofit loci, giving We also draw which yield the same level sti cal wage competitive value) and gives y the presence of In given real a point E. Point A gives the highest real profit point on the 45 degree line. The aggregate demand externality argument can Consider a wage constant. degree line. However, in proportional small decrease of price s, The equilibrium moves from point the absence of set of move from point E prices, to a real this movement back to lfc point like E' along the 45 a point like point E'. E, so that small increase in nominal money . At money balances would increase and the economy would the presence of menu costs however, real a E. But, find in its interest to increase its price until hi gher to money and the real coordination, no firm has an incentive to reduce prices The menu cost argument considers instead In keeping nominal The profit of each firm rises with the increase in aggregate demand. away from the equilibrium point the initial E then be stated as follows. absent menu costs, each firm would the economy had returned to point these menu costs, if the economy remains at E' large enough, can prevent and all firms end up with profits. The figure assumes decreasing returns to scale. Note also that, as firms take the level as given when choosing their own price, isoprofit loci are horizontal along the price rule. rice E. 21 similar argument, although slightly More complicated, holds A shall not present It The presence of s pecific r aggregate demand externality does not depend on the nature an We ole played by mon ey in this section. produced good, and on the nature of the numeraire. on money being wages. here. it also important to note the is •for The results of of the this section depend That money iB the numeraire the non produced good and the numeraire. implies that, given menu costs, unchanged prices and wages mean unchanged nominal prices and wages. That money is the non produced good implies that as the government can vary the amount of adjust, nominal change the amount money, real of can, it prices and wages do not nominal if money balances, the real quantity of the non produced good. The effects If we want o-f larger changes in nominal to examine changes in money. larger changes, For its proof for money, we can no larger changes in nominal the effects of longer use the result derived above, money relies on the assumption of small the private opportunity costs of not adjusting prices in response to the change in money -private costs, for short- are no longer negligible and depend on the parameters dependence as on the model. We now investigate this . The private costs faced by well of a firm depends on the size of the demand shifts as the two parameters a and order in response to a change in 6. aggregate demand, thus roughly proportional to the square of the change in aggregate demand. private opportunity cost to a these costs are of second As we have seen, More precisely, firm expressed as associated with not adjusting its price in a define L(A proportion response to a of change | a, 8) initial of 100A'/, to be the revenues, in aggregate ) 22 other firms and households keep their prices and wages unchanged. demand, when all simple computation, we get by Then, Kb {[ (ot-i> 2 «,e> i where o(A 2 is ) i <e-n ]/[2(i+e(o-n i.e the closer the smaller the private cost. In costs of not adjusting prices are equal monopolist to a multiplicative Bhift and c. opportunity cost to proportion initial of response to a the optimal as a is equal <e-l)/e«] L( where If p ( is ©- 1 If v is if in 100A7. (1+A) -1 close to unity, very large, j p,(r) 6 L in demand the higher the elasticity of | not adjusting prices. The two important parameters for the same way as above, the private a i.e if of : , share of wage income in GNP. the elasticity of private costs disutility if a aggregate demand, when all other firms and /6b is the initial marginal of consumption), associated with not adjusting the wage in labor is close to unity, limit, response Thus private costs are an increasing function households keep their prices and wages unchanged, is given by [ then private to one, worker, measured in terms of consumption and expressed as change of a returns are the returns to to zero we define the function If ) if Exactly the same analysis applies to workers. p o(A 2 the limit, the higher the private costs of with respect to price, them are + to constant They are also an increasing function of a. a2 isoelastic demand under constant marginal in cost is to leave the price unchanged. of ]> third order. of The closer « is to one, scale, > labor the marginal disutility of not adjusting wages are small is constant, private costs ire equal ; labor types are close substitutes, private costs of adjusting wages are high. in of the to zero, not 23 Table la gives the size of menu costs at proportion a of the firm's revenues (GNP produced by the firm) which trt just sufficient to prevent its price in response to change in demand (in a terms of consumption) as a proportion Ta ble lb firm from adjusting gives the size initial consumption menu costs (GNP consumed by the worker from adjusting his wage. a (a) (b) Loss in utility (in terms of consumption) to a worker from not adjusting wages (as a proportion of initial consumption)* Mi/Mo - Loss in value to a firm from not adjusting prices (as a proportion of initial revenues) = M,/Mo al theta pha 1.1 1.05 5 1.1 2 1.0 1.3 * : 5 5 = 6 5 | the initial Thus, a beta 1. 10 .013 1.4 .001 .00B .004 .031 1.4 .000 .018 .000 .071 1.2 1.6 . 20 = 003V. 1. level 1.05 1. 10 5 .066V. .265 2 .027 .105 si gma 20 .025 .112 5 5 . Ill .418 100 .451 . 1 of nominal money, Mi the level after the change. given the unit elasticity of aggregate demand with respect to real balances and the assumption that all other prices have not changed, changes in demand to the firm. less than .017. of money table la gives the private costs associated with not changing prices in the face of The main conclusion is that very small 5V. and 10'/. menu costs ,say revenues, may be sufficient to prevent adjustment of prices. Results are qualitatively similar for workers. not of Changes in aggregate demand and menu costs 1 " is of which are just sufficient to prevent worker) Mo Table | a changing the effects of changes of +57. and Table +10'/. lb in gives the private costs of the demand for final goods. It 24 assumes that and of 5.5"/. at values to for p«1.6 and i consumption, so that between 1.2 and 1.6. p costs are again very small negligible 1.1, approximately. We expect 117. O'f equal is a as | 117. a p For changes in the derived demand p values of is change in demand, they reach at looks lb required menu of .457. least from the point of between private costs and welfare effects in the change in nominal dependence is that table so close to unity, p output, , i.e. employment and real change in nominal money at given prices and wages. size of a initial number which is no longer negligible. a resulting from the changes a than increases however, required menu costs become non The more relevant comparison however, welfare, to be higher labor are •for view the change in utility money which are implied by Welfare effects depend on the money as well as on the parameters a, 6 p, complex one and we shall not analyze it here in detail. a numerical examples. It and money, 57. and 107. and different cr Table gives the required menu costs and welfare effects with two different changes in nominal O'f | 2 the gives associated values of the structural parameters. For each of of menu costs, the two changes in money, expressed as prices and wages ; a proportion of the first column gives the minimum value GNP, which prevents adjustment of nominal this value is the sum of menu costs required to prevent firms from adjusting their prices and workers from adjusting their wages, prices. at given other wages and The second column gives the welfare effects of an increase in nominal unchanged prices and wages, expressed proportion of GNP. in terms of consumption, The third gives the ratio of again as a welfare effects to menu costs. money 25 Table 2 weHirt effects Menu costs and Mi/Mo beta alpha 1.05 «= M,/Mo Welfare Ratio Effects Menu Costs Menu Costs » 1.10 Welfare Ratio effects <e-cr»5) 1. 1.2 1.4 1.6 1 1.2 03'/. 1.797. .077. 1.B37. 60 26 .11'/. 1.917. .04 V. 1.B27. .087. . 1.2 1.4 1.6 . 137. . 037. 117. 3.547. 32 .287. 3.607. 13 17 .467. 3.727. B .157. 3. 57% 24 1.B77. 45 24 .337. 11 9B7. 15 3.677. 3.83'/ 1 . . . 537. 7 (6»-cr«=10) 1. 1.2 1.4 1.6 1 1.2 7. 31 .117. 1.667. 17 1.027. 17 .237. 1.937. 6 097. 1.117. 12 .367. 2.057. 6 .047. .997. 25 .167. 1.B77. 12 .077. 1.077. 16 .297. 2.017. 7 .117, 1.277. 12 .447. 2.247. 5 . 1.2 1.4 1.6 .94 .067. Welfare effects turn out not to be much affected by the specific values of the parameters, at least for the range of values we consider in the table. Thus, the ratio of welfare effects to menu cost has the same qualitative behavior as that the ratio of cr output movements to menu costs. close to unity, from 60 for and It is largest for values of decreases as these parameters increase. low values of a, p, © and cr to 5 for In high values of a, p, the table, it of and varies these parameters. Demand determination of output We have until now assumed that increases in real money balances at constant prices and wages led to increases in output and employment. the effects of small changes in money, When we were analyzing this assumption was clearly warranted ; in the FIGURE A. DEMAND DETERMINATION OF OUTPUT. -toa (u//p) ^Ovtp^fc'feW' U>Aj U»w 7^1"t &>$ V (= Coa (m/ ? ) t h-cp vvtc. U*.>ta~l ). 26 monopol initial i stical 1 competitive equilibrium, as price exceeds marginal cost, y always be willing to satisfy firms Mill The same is true of workers price. disutility of their type of Even the case. if of wage initially exceeds the marginal as the real increase small a in demand for they have the option of either firms do not adjust their price, cost exceeds price. we increase in demand at the existing When we consider larger changes in money, this may no longer be accomodating or rationing demand theory, small willingly accomodate labor, workers will labor. : a | they will resort to the second option marginal From standard monopoly The same analysis applies to workers. know that firms and workers will if accomodate relative increases in demand ( 1 <e/(e-n>«-i and (o7 (cr-1 ) ) p-1 This raises the question of whether, respectively assuming menu costs to be large enough, an increase in demand can increase output all the way to its competitive level. answer is provided in Figure 4. Figure 4 replicates Figure price and wage rules under competitive and monopol is the monopolistic competitive equilibrium, monopol i sti cal 1 y satisfy demand, at that is point B. they reach the competitive locus. rather than supply. demand. H given price wage ratio, a The shaded area shaded area is .the sti cal 1 and draws the aggregate 2 competitive conditions. y competitive one. competitive price rule, price exceeds marginal will until A' l By a the set is F the set of It In of real cost marginal our case, A Along the ; thus firms cost equals price, firms will supply up to output-real wage at which firms will ration similar argument, workers will supply up to point B'. The wage combinations where workers do not satisfy labor The figure makes it clear that an output and employment. until The increase in nominal also makes clear that, no matter how money will increase large menu costs are, i 27 it impossible, unless the competitive and monopol sti cal is i are equal, 1 y competitive real wages the competitive equilibrium through an increase in nominal to attain money. What happens therefore as demand increases depends on both menu costs and supply constraints. If menu costs are large, If menu costs are small, a supply constraints will come into effect first. more likely case, prices and wages adjust before supply constraints come into effect. Conclusi pn The results of Keynesian models : this paper are tantal i z ngl cIobb to those y under monopolistic competition, of traditional output is too low, because of an aggregate demand externality. This externality, together with small menu costs, implies that movements in demand can affect output and welfare. increases in money can increase both output and welfare. nominal In In particular, fact, believe these results to be important to the understanding of macroeconomi fluctuations, it is also clear that there is still justify Keynesian results. The scope for small effects in our model respect to the real individual Let us mention some of a while we c long way to go for this model the main to issues. menu costs to lead to large output, employment and welfare depends critically on the elasticity wage being large enough labor supply suggests however a (on small (p-1) of labor supply with being small). elasticity. Evidence on Thus the "menu cost" approach runs into the same problem as the imperfect information approach to output fluctuations to demand if : neither can easily generate large fluctuations in output in response the real wage elasticity of labor supply is low. As in the imperfect information case, the theory may be rescued by the distinction between temporary and 26 permanent changes in demand. supply than individuals. possibility is that unions have a Hatter labor More likely, the assumption that labor markets operate as (competitive or monopol Bpot markets abandoned An other i sti cal 1 competitive) y may have to be 17 . The analysis of this paper is purely static. issues in extending the model the presence of menu costs. to If decisions, with fixed lengths There are substantial look at the dynamic effects of demand on output, menu costs lead to staggered nominal of time between decisions, conceptual the model in price and wage delivers, depending on the particular staggering structure, the same qualitative results as recent macroeconomi (1979) c and Blanchard models with staggering, (19B3) (see Blanchard such as those by Akerlof (19B5) for however menu costs lead price and wage setters to use random periods of time between decisions, response to a level, and a large amount, little effect of real price structure (see Caplin a ( 1 (S,s) 9B5) , a If policies, which imply few prices may be readjusted implying money on output, and Spul ber more detailed argument). the results may be quite different change in aggregate demand, only may however be readjusted by a Taylor (1969), in | \ they large change in the price apart form the distortions on the and Blanchard and Fischer (39B5) for further discussion). 17 This is the direction taken by Akerlof and Yellen (19B5b) who formalize the goods market as monopol i sti cal 1 y competitive and the labor market using the "efficiency wage" hypothesi s. Append! x This appendix derives the market equilibrium conditions functions each type of of to (11) The first derives the demand the text and proceeds in three steps. in cjiven (5) labor and each type of product by solving part of firms and households. the maximization problems of These functions hold whether or not prices and wages are set by workers and firms at their profit or utility maximizing level. The second derives price rules from firms' profit maximization and wage rules from workers' utility maximization. The third characterises market equilibrium. Demands for product and labor types 1. In order to maximize profit, each firm minimizes its production cost given level of output and wages a) for a t n min E Wj N. subject to j ( Nu E j«l N tJ cr u-l cTlcr-l n T1?) -U (Wj/W) E Wj N, cr =(n j > Yi j-1 Solving this minimisation problem gives Ni 1_ « i a Y, 1 and j = , = (n 1-a) n where = W ( (1/n) The demand for = where = -cr J_ ) type (a2) 1-cr j therefore given by is : s j = (Wj/W) m n N/n <a3) 1 N =. (E E Wj i N (al) Y, -cr E N 1 1 E Wj j= l labor of m Nj W l can be Nu)/W (n 1-cr) E Y i j a m 1 = = 4 l interpreted as the aggregate labor index In order to maximize utility, each household chooses the optimum b) composition of consumption and money holdings for a given level of total wealth Ij and product prices : (a4) e-i « A, max EC (i ( l-v e* (Mj'/P) >e-l « HI subject to E Pi i = C» Mj + j «= ' Ij l Solving this maximization problem gives Cu -e (Pi/P) - i (a5) Ij/Pm) (if and Aj (a6) (*7) I.i/P u 1-9 where (d/a) = P E P. i-1 can be interpreted as the marginal p The demand for product of n -e Y and 1-e ) t = Cm E J = = is i (If utility m e-1) o-f laB) (1-K real wealth therefore given by 1 (a9) (Y/m) (P. /P) l m n where type u 1-lf * 1 1 * Y n C»j>/P E Pi (E (X/P) = i j (alO) E Ij 3*1 denotes real aggregate consumption expenditures o-f households and will to as "aggregate demand". Note that la5) (at), (a9) and (alO) imply the following rel ation between aggregate demand and aggregate desired real money balances Y be referred , 1 (*/(!-*) 2. where M'/P ) H" (all) E H'j j-i = Price and waoe rules a) Taking as given wages and the price level, each firm chooses its price and output so as to maximize profit 1 n Vi = Pi Yi - E Wj j-l (al2) N.j subject to the cost function (al) and the demand function for its product (a9). Solving the above maximization problem gives : or- 1 Pi = <e/(0-l))n a 1-ff Yi 1 W, = [ ( ( G/ ( &- 1 ) ) n 1-tr equivalently l-« 1 Pi/P or m ot-1 ) (W/P) (Y (al3) 1 )] (l+e<«-l) (al4) . implies that thi price it equal Equation (all) Marginal cost. to 6/($-l) timet the Taking as given prices and other wages, each household chooses its Mage and labor supply so as to maximize utility. Using (a6) b) i P Uj u «= (al5) Nj - ,/P I subject to the demand for its type constraint of labor (a3) and the budget i = Ij Nj Wj + Vu E laUl Mj + i Solving this maximization problem gives i P-1 u Wj/P (ff/(ir-l))p «= Nj equivalently or , P-1 1-P Wj/W to cr / = [ ( (cr/ (tr-1) ) MP/WMN (p/u)n (a!7) 1 )] Equation lalB) implies that the real wage, in terms cr— times the marginal disutility of labor. 1 < (alB) (l + ff(p-D) of utility, equal is ) Market equilibrium 3. In equilibrium, desired real money balances must be equal to actual balances. Thus M M'. Replacing in (all) gives Y = (K/U-V) ) This is equation (al9) , we get (al9) M/P = [(n 1 -ex ex -or) U/(l-X) ) m If [n (a9) and E ( = (P,/P) ex ) (M/P) <a20) l : 1 N (a4), choose the same -not necessarily optimal- price, this -firms all -tx6 (T) 3 i reduces to from equations Then, : 1 N the text. in (5) 1-cr 1 m -ex ex U/d-H ) ex ] (M/P) (a21) Substituting equation (al9) into (a9) gives the demand function for product i, equation (7) in the text. Substituting equation (a21) into equation (a3) gives the demand function for labor of type j, equation (B) in the text. Note that as we have not used the price and wage rules to derive these demand functions, they hold even when prices or wages are not set optimal 1 y Substituting equation (a 19-) into (al4) gives the price rule for firm i, equation (10) in the text. Substituting (al9) into (alB) gives the wage rule for worker j, equation (11) in the text. 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