Labor market search, the Taylor principle, and indeterminacy

In a sticky-price model with labor market search and matching frictions, forecast-based interest rate policy almost always induces indeterminacy when it is strictly inflation targeting and satisfies the Taylor principle. Indeterminacy is due to a vacancy channel of monetary policy that makes inflation expectations self-fulfilling. The effect of this channel strengthens as the sluggishness of the adjustment of employment relative to that of consumption increases. When this relative sluggishness is high, the Taylor principle fails to ensure determinacy, regardless of whether the policy is forecast-based or outcome-based, whether it is strictly or flexibly inflation targeting, or contains policy rate smoothing.     

Sustainability, flexibility, and inflation targeting

This paper examines sustainability of an inflation-targeting policy regime in terms of sustainable equilibrium using a canonical model in the recent literature. Overly flexible inflation targeting is not sustainable. Strict inflation targeting is sustainable only when shock persistence is high enough.     

Confidence Sets for the Break Date in Cointegrating Regressions

In this paper, we propose constructing confidence sets for a break date in cointegrating regressions by inverting a test for the break location, which is obtained by maximizing the weighted average of power. It is found that the limiting distribution of the test depends on the number of I(1) regressors whose coefficients sustain structural change and the number of I(1) regressors whose coefficients are fixed throughout the sample. By Monte Carlo simulations, we then show that compared with a confidence interval developed by using the existing method based on the limiting distribution of the break point estimator under the assumption of the shrinking shift, the confidence set proposed in the present paper has a more accurate coverage rate, while the length of the confidence set is comparable. By using the method developed in this paper, we then investigate the cointegrating regressions of Russian macroeconomic variables with oil prices with a break.     

A simple panel stationarity test in the presence of serial correlation and a common factor

This paper develops a simple test à la Pesaran (2007) for the null hypothesis of stationarity in heterogeneous panel data with cross-sectional dependence in the form of a common factor in the disturbance. We also allow for serial correlation.     

Detection of Structural Change in the Long‐run Persistence in a Univariate Time Series*

In this paper, we investigate a test for structural change in the long‐run persistence in a univariate time series. Our model has a unit root with no structural change under the null hypothesis, while under the alternative it changes from a unit‐root process to a stationary one or vice versa. We propose a Lagrange multiplier‐type test, a test with the quasi‐differencing method, and ‘demeaned versions’ of these tests. We find that the demeaned versions of these tests have better finite‐sample properties, although they are not necessarily superior in asymptotics to the other tests.     

Determinacy and expectational stability of equilibrium in a monetary sticky-price model with Taylor rule

Recent studies show that the Taylor rule possesses desirable properties in terms of generating determinacy and E-stability of rational expectations equilibria under sticky prices. This paper examines whether this policy rule retains these properties within a discrete-time money-in-utility-function model, employing three timings of money balances of the utility function that the existing literature contains: end-of-period timing and two types of cash-in-advance timing. This paper shows: (i) even a small degree of non-separability of the utility function between consumption and real balances causes the Taylor rule to be much more likely to induce indeterminacy or E-instability if this rule responds not only to inflation but also to output or the output gap; (ii) differences among the three timings strongly alter conditions for the Taylor rule to ensure both determinacy and E-stability.     

Model selection criteria in multivariate models with multiple structural changes

This paper considers the issue of selecting the number of regressors and the number of structural breaks in multivariate regression models in the possible presence of multiple structural changes. We develop a modified Akaike information criterion (AIC), a modified Mallows’ C_p criterion and a modified Bayesian information criterion (BIC). The penalty terms in these criteria are shown to be different from the usual terms. We prove that the modified BIC consistently selects the regressors and the number of breaks whereas the modified AIC and the modified C_p criterion tend to overfit with positive probability. The finite sample performance of these criteria is investigated through Monte Carlo simulations and it turns out that our modification is successful in comparison to the classical model selection criteria and the sequential testing procedure robust to heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation.     

Asymptotic properties of the efficient estimators for cointegrating regression models with serially dependent errors

In this paper, we analytically investigate three efficient estimators for cointegrating regression models: Phillips and Hansen’s [Phillips, P.C.B., Hansen, B.E., 1990. Statistical inference in instrumental variables regression with I(1) processes. Review of Economic Studies 57, 99–125] fully modified OLS estimator, Park’s [Park, J.Y., 1992. Canonical cointegrating regressions. Econometrica 60, 119–143] canonical cointegrating regression estimator, and Saikkonen’s [Saikkonen, P., 1991. Asymptotically efficient estimation of cointegration regressions. Econometric Theory 7, 1–21] dynamic OLS estimator. We consider the case where the regression errors are moderately serially correlated and the AR coefficient in the regression errors approaches 1 at a rate slower than 1/T$1/T$, where T$T$ represents the sample size. We derive the limiting distributions of the efficient estimators under this system and find that they depend on the approaching rate of the AR coefficient. If the rate is slow enough, efficiency is established for the three estimators; however, if the approaching rate is relatively faster, the estimators will have the same limiting distribution as the OLS estimator. For the intermediate case, the second-order bias of the OLS estimator is partially eliminated by the efficient methods. This result explains why, in finite samples, the effect of the efficient methods diminishes as the serial correlation in the regression errors becomes stronger. We also propose to modify the existing efficient estimators in order to eliminate the second-order bias, which possibly remains in the efficient estimators. Using Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that our modification is effective when the regression errors are moderately serially correlated and the simultaneous correlation is relatively strong.     

Optimal sustainable monetary policy

In recent monetary policy literature, optimal commitment policy and its variant from a timeless perspective have been studied with emphasis on welfare gains from policy commitment. These policies, however, involve a time-consistency problem called a stabilization bias in forward-looking models. We analyze Chari and Kehoe's [1990. Sustainable plans. Journal of Political Economy 98, 783-802] sustainable equilibrium and examine optimal sustainable policy, i.e. a policymaker's strategy in the best sustainable equilibrium. This paper shows that such a policy becomes consistent with the optimal commitment policy in sufficiently later periods. It also shows that whether the optimal sustainable policy can attain the Ramsey equilibrium outcome depends on the magnitude of shocks hitting the model economy. Moreover, the paper finds a sustainable policy that attains higher social welfare than discretionary policy does.