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The expectation system and the wage policy: indexation x prefixing

ABSTRACT

This article intends to compare wage policies based upon conventional indexation on past inflation schemes versus pre-fixation ones. The structure of responses of the economic agents to wage policy will be significantly different in each other of these two approaches, and it will be crucial to determine the possibilities of the success of that strategy as an anti-inflationary one. Otherwise, the principal focus of that work will be the wage pre-fixation scheme and its relationship with the expectations of economic agents. The crucial issue to be analyzed will be the credibility of the government with respect the workers and their unions in general. ln some contexts, the lack of credibility of the government will lead the wage policy to be almost irrelevant in the effective wage fixing of economy. Toe principal conclusion will be that pre-fixation will be a risky alternative but may be the most attractive way of fighting inflation in countries with chronic inflationary situations like Brazil.

KEYWORDS:
Inflation; wage policy

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