Zanetti Flashcards
RBC model based on 3 claims
- Efficiency of bus cycle fluctuations
- Tech shocks only ones to generate economic fluctuations
- Monetary factors unimportant (nominal rate =0 by Friedman rule)
How is unrealistic RBC used
As frictionless benchmark, hard to identify though
Optimal inflation rate
Beta
long-run equil output is
below efficient level
Commitment vs not in Barro Gordon results
Higher inflation with no commitment but same long-run output
Efficient varieties allocation without frictions
produce and consume same quantity of each good,
same amount of labour to all firms
Firms maximise profits but with frictions:
choose p facing own demand function
price adjustment costs
Inefficiency from monop. comp.
Markup leads to employment and output below optimum
Policy solution to markup problems
Employment subsidy to the firm such that 1-t=1/markup
2 staggered price setting distortions
- average markup varies over time (not the constant frictionless one)
- Prices and quantities vary across firms
Average markup
ratio of average price to average marginal cost
2 key equations in monetary policy optimal analysis
Household FOC (Euler) Firm FOC (Phillips Curve) (leads to normal IS, PC NK set up)
Why is price stability desirable even if policy maker doesn’t care directly about it
related to attainment of efficient allocation and output
Why does CB not need to worry about efficient level of output
will be obtained by successful price stabilisation
Interest rate rule has threat of strong response by CB to movement of output gap and inflation
Suffices to rule out such deviations
Able to achieve i=r natural rate with unique stable equil
Equil unique if
di/dpi>1 which is Taylor principle
Taylor type rule requires knowledge of
natural rate
comes from true model, parameter values and realised shocks
Endogenous rules fulfil
use observed variables only
don’t require parameter values knowledge
ideally approximate optimal rule
How to microfound a welfare function for mon. pol.
2nd order approx around zero inflation sty st
Marginal costs are related to output gap
output above natural requires hiring more workers requires higher real wages
Loss function increasing in effects of imperfections
elasticity of substitution for dispersion in quantity of goods
price stickiness amplifies price rigidities
in observable taylor rule
welfare losses from shocks:
increases in responsiveness to inflation or y effective in reducing welfare losses
Tech shock trade-off between stabilising and the output gap
Constant money growth rule compared to taylor
performs reasonably well but worse than aggressive taylor rule
output gap in PC vs loss function
why do frictions introduce mon. pol. trade-off
output gap in PC compared to natural level, not efficient level as in loss function
so flexible prices introduce mon. pol. trade off when frictions cause natural not to be efficient