Inefficient Equilibrium Unemployment in a Duocentric Economy with Matching Frictions

43 Pages Posted: 28 Dec 2013

See all articles by Etienne Lehmann

Etienne Lehmann

CREST; Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) - School of Economic and Social Research (IRES); IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Paola L. Montero Ledezma

Catholic University of Louvain (UCL)

Bruno Van der Linden

Université Catholique de Louvain - Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

This article examines unemployment disparities and efficiency in a densely populated economy with two job centers and workers distributed between them. We introduce commuting costs and search-matching frictions to deal with the spatial mismatch between workers and firms. In equilibrium, there exists a unique threshold location where job-seekers are indifferent between job centers. In a decentralized economy job-seekers do not internalize a composition externality they impose on all the unemployed. Their decisions over job-search are thus typically not optimal and hence the equilibrium unemployment rates are inefficient. We calibrate the model for Los Angeles and Chicago Metropolitan Statistical Areas. Simulations exercises suggest that changes in the workforce distribution have non-negligible effects on unemployment rates, wages and net output.

Keywords: spatial mismatch, commuting, urban unemployment, externality, United States

JEL Classification: J64, R13, R23

Suggested Citation

Lehmann, Etienne and Montero Ledezma, Paola L. and Van der Linden, Bruno, Inefficient Equilibrium Unemployment in a Duocentric Economy with Matching Frictions. IZA Discussion Paper No. 7828, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2372537 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2372537

Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) - School of Economic and Social Research (IRES) ( email )

3, Place Montesquieu
1348 Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

Paola L. Montero Ledezma

Catholic University of Louvain (UCL) ( email )

Place Montesquieu, 3
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348
Belgium

Bruno Van der Linden

Université Catholique de Louvain - Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales ( email )

3, Place Montesquieu
Louvain-la-Neuve, 1348
Belgium

HOME PAGE: http://perso.uclouvain.be/bruno.vanderlinden/

IZA Institute of Labor Economics

P.O. Box 7240
Bonn, D-53072
Germany

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