Comparing the shapes of recoveries: France, the UK and the US

Progresses in fiscal consolidation programs are often expressed in cyclically-adjusted terms, meaning that business cycles have to be accurately estimated. In this paper, we put forward a parametric framework enabling to assess business cycles, especially at the end of recession periods by accounting for bounce-back effects. We explore the various shapes that the recoveries may exhibit within an extended Markov-Switching model as proposed by Kim, Morley and Piger (2005) and extend the methodology by proposing i) a more flexible bounce-back model, ii) explicit tests to select the appropriate bounce-back function, if any, and iii) a suitable measure of the permanent impact of recessions. By applying this approach to post-WWII quarterly growth rates of US, UK and French real GDPs, we show that the shape of recoveries is country-specific.