Public Sector Wage Cycles and the Co-Movement of the Fiscal Deficit and Inflation in Less-Developed Countries

Abstract

In this paper I analyze the co-variation of the fiscal deficit and inflation in a simple perfect foresight model that incorporates low- and high-wage cycles of equal depth and duration. When money and consumption are not extremely strong complements and the wage-cycle not extremely short-lived, inflation rises above its pre-stabilization level while the deficit is lower. The results thus argue that public sector wage cycles may underlie the weak empirical correlation of the deficit and inflation.