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We show that sluggish firm entry causes productivity to vary endogenously in response to technology shocks. The endogenous productivity effect is caused by incumbent firms utilizing excess capacity as entry adjusts. We develop a nonparametric model of endogenous sunk costs and monopolistic competition to show that imperfect competition and dynamic entry are necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for endogenous productivity fluctuations. Quantitatively we show the endogenous productivity effect is as large as that from a traditional ‘capital utilization’ effect.

We develop the generalized Taylor economy (GTE) in which there are many sectors with overlapping contracts of different lengths. In economies with the same average contract length, monetary shocks will be more persistent when longer contracts are present. Using the Bils–Klenow distribution of contract lengths, we find that the corresponding GTE tracks the U.S. data well. When we choose a GTE with the same distribution of completed contract lengths as the Calvo, the economies behave in a similar manner.

We build a general equilibrium macroeconomic model of a transitional economy to reflect five stylized facts. Among these are that central planning has left a legacy of highly concentrated industry and a residue of price controls and rationing. An `almost Classical' dichotomy obtains in the model: monetary expansion leaves output and unemployment unchanged (despite the existence of unemployment), though leisure time declines. The economy displays a high degree of complementarity between the state-controlled sector and the private sector, however, giving rise to multiplier effects. We analyse the effects of price liberalization and privatization in this framework.

This paper models an economy with many sectors. In each sector a monopoly union sets the nominal wage, and then firms choose output. The economy is large in that all agents treat the general price level as fixed. The paper focusses on policy effects on employment. An increase in government expenditure in one sector will increase (decrease) total employment as sectoral employment is above (below) average. A general increase in government expenditure in fixed proportions will have a positive employment multiplier below unity. Policy which increases employment will lead to higher welfare.