TY  - JOUR
AU  - Gali,Jordi
AU  - Gertler,Mark
AU  - Lopez-Salido,J. David
TI  - European Inflation Dynamics
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 8218
PY  - 2001
Y2  - April 2001
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8218
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w8218.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Jordi Gali
Centre de Recerca en Economia Internacional (CREI)
Ramon Trias Fargas 25
08005 Barcelona
SPAIN
Tel: 011-34-93-5422754
Fax: 011-34-93-5421860
E-Mail: jgali@crei.cat

Mark Gertler
Department of Economics
New York University
269 Mercer Street, 7th Floor
New York, NY 10003
Tel: 212/998-8931
Fax: 212/995-4186
E-Mail: mark.gertler@nyu.edu
AB  - We provide evidence on the fit of the New Phillips Curve (NPQ for the Euro area over the period 1970-1998, and use it as a tool to compare the characteristics of European inflation dynamics with those observed in the U.S. We also analyze the factors underlying inflation inertia by examining the cyclical behavior of marginal costs, as well as that of its two main components, namely, labor productivity and real wages.  Some of the findings can be summarized as follows: (a) the NPC fits Euro area data very well, possibly better than U.S. data, (b) the degree of price stickiness implied by the estimates is substantial, but in line with survey evidence and U.S. estimates, (c) inflation dynamics in the Euro area appear to have a stronger forward- looking component (i.e., less inertia) than in the U.S., (d) labor market frictions, as manifested in the behavior of the wage markup, appear to have played a key role in shaping the behavior of marginal costs and, consequently, inflation in Europe.
ER  -