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Working Paper
Superneutrality in postwar economies
A structural vector autoregression is employed to estimate the real output level response to permanent inflation shocks. We identify the model by assuming that in the long run, inflation is a monetary phenomenon. Well-known economic theory is used to establish this identification restriction. The model is estimated for a sample of 16 countries from the larger pool based on data quality, existence of long uninterrupted series on output and inflation, and evidence that the country experienced permanent shocks to inflation and output. The VAR is estimated for each country separately. We find ...
Working Paper
The Optimal Monetary Instrument and the (Mis)Use of Causality Tests
This paper uses a New-Keynesian model with multiple monetary assets to show that if the choice of instrument is based solely on its propensity to predict macroeconomic targets, a central bank may choose an inferior policy instrument. We compare a standard interest rate rule to a k-percent rule for three alternative monetary aggregates determined within our model: the monetary base, the simple sum measure of money, and the Divisia measure. Welfare results are striking. While the interest rate dominates the other two monetary aggregate k-percent rules, the Divisia k-percent rule outperforms the ...
Working Paper
A model of monetary policy shocks for financial crises and normal conditions
In late 2008, deteriorating economic conditions led the Federal Reserve to lower the federal funds rate to near zero and inject massive liquidity into the financial system through novel facilities. The combination of conventional and unconventional measures complicates the challenging task of characterizing the effects of monetary policy. We develop a novel method of identifying these effects that maintains the classic assumptions that a central bank reacts to output and the price level contemporaneously and may only affect these variables with a lag. A New-Keynesian DSGE model augmented with ...
Journal Article
Structural approaches to vector autoregressions