Complexity and monetary policy

  • The complexity resulting from intertwined uncertainties regarding model misspecification and mismeasurement of the state of the economy defines the monetary policy landscape. Using the euro area as laboratory this paper explores the design of robust policy guides aiming to maintain stability in the economy while recognizing this complexity. We document substantial output gap mismeasurement and make use of a new model data base to capture the evolution of model specification. A simple interest rate rule is employed to interpret ECB policy since 1999. An evaluation of alternative policy rules across 11 models of the euro area confirms the fragility of policy analysis optimized for any specific model and shows the merits of model averaging in policy design. Interestingly, a simple difference rule with the same coefficients on inflation and output growth as the one used to interpret ECB policy is quite robust as long as it responds to current outcomes of these variables.

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Metadaten
Author:Athanasios OrphanidesORCiDGND, Volker WielandORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-268708
URL:http://www.imfs-frankfurt.de/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/WP_57.pdf
Parent Title (German):Working paper series / Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability ; 57
Series (Serial Number):Working paper series / Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (57)
Document Type:Working Paper
Language:English
Year of Completion:2012
Year of first Publication:2012
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2012/11/07
Tag:ECB; complexity; financial crisis; model uncertainty; monetary policy; robust simple rules
HeBIS-PPN:344430669
Institutes:Wirtschaftswissenschaften / Wirtschaftswissenschaften
Wissenschaftliche Zentren und koordinierte Programme / Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS)
Dewey Decimal Classification:3 Sozialwissenschaften / 33 Wirtschaft / 330 Wirtschaft
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoDeutsches Urheberrecht