Macroeconomic policy in recessions and unemployment hysteresis

I adopt Ball's (1999) cross-sectional approach to test for unemployment hysteresis to panel data. Long-run unemployment is explained with standard institutional controls, and proxies for monetary and fiscal policy reactions in recessions. The sample consists of 20 OECD countries for the period 1985 to 2008. The results indicate that fiscal consolidation in recessions has long-lasting effects on unemployment. No significant impact of monetary policy is found. However, tentative evidence suggests that the effects of fiscal spending are stronger when accommodated by expansionary monetary policy.