De-globalisation, welfare state reforms and labour market outcomes

Within an open economy framework characterised by vertical linkages in production and search frictions and two-sided heterogeneity in the labour market, raising trade barriers is shown to increase unemployment across skill levels, and to reduce labour market participation and aggregate income. These effects are not necessarily moderated by maintaining frictionless mobility of capital across borders. We find that a flexicurity reform of a liberal welfare state can dampen the adverse effects of de-globalisation.