Salaire nominal et salaire réel

Abstract

SUMMARY - How will general autonomous increase in the money wage rate affect prices and tlie real wage level This problem is examined within the formal framework of macro-model iu iwhich the wage rate is considered as an autonomous variable at the disposal of the labour unions or determined by collective bargaining agreements the price level can then by eli mination of all other variables be expressed as function of The elas ticity of this function is one measure of the effect on of change in The classical labour market model determines real wages and employment simultaneously Removing the labour supply equation from this model In order to allow wage rate changes we are left with the labour demand iluatiuu subject to II the macro-production function Illi ff- being free variable For given however this model is still indeterminate since employment cannot be expected priori to be unaffected we have to consider more complete macro-model which talies into account repercussions on via employment In the simple classical macro-model equations VII 579 rise in will increase less than proportionally and decrease provided that the supply of money is kept constant In the Keynesian system eqs VII 582 change in the wage rate will have no effect on employment if is manipulated so as to keep the rate of interest constant we have == i.e. real wages cannot be Influenced by autonomous wage rate changes If instead of is kept constant repercussions via investment will somewhat increase the real wage level Taking the Keynesian equations one by one we nolw consider how the results are affected if the assumptions are modified in various ways In particular it is shown that the presence of imperfect competition and non- labour elements in marginal costs imports excises etc.) have decreasing effect on thus enabling the workers to benefit from wage rate mani pulations This result is now confronted with empirical findings The marginal wage quota for total production in Denmark is estimated to be which may be taken as an approximation of computation within Tinber- decision model for the Dutch economy gives price-wage-elasticity of almost equal to the marginal wage quota estimate for the Netherlands input-output model gives == 63 or 37 according as to whether profit margins change proportionally to the labour cost or not No conclusive results could be obtained from the available time series of wages and price data Finally it is shown in simple dynamic model how the introduction of automatic wage adjustments according to changes in the price level makes it possible for the workers to obtain the full benefit of the money wage increase unless and the system is unstable