Optimal monetary policy with imperfect common knowledge

This paper determines optimal nominal demand policy in a flexible price economy in which firms pay limited attention to aggregate variables. Firms’ inattentiveness gives rise to idiosyncratic information errors and imperfect common knowledge about the shocks hitting the economy. This is shown to have strong implications for optimal nominal demand policy. In particular, if firms’ prices are strategic complements and economic shocks display little persistence, monetary policy has strong real effects, making it optimal to stabilize the output gap. Weak complementarities or sufficient shock persistence, however, cause price level stabilization to become increasingly optimal. With persistent shocks, optimal monetary policy shifts from output gap stabilization in initial periods following the shock to price level stabilization in later periods, potentially rationalizing the medium-term approach to price stability adopted by some central banks.     

Asset price dynamics,inflation and sectoral composition of output: a dependent economy model

This article develops a dependent economy model that focuses on the interactions between inflation and asset price dynamics under a flexible exchange rate and rational expectation. We assume that money wage adjusts instantaneously to clear the labour market. The asset prices are represented by the Tobin’s q and exchange rate. Using this framework, we will examine implications of monetary policy, fiscal policy, tariff liberalization and exogenous capital flows for inflation and asset prices, which in turn determine the allocation of labour and the sectoral composition of output. The effects of different exogenous and policy-induced shocks critically depend on the difference in the speeds of adjustment in commodity price and asset prices and multiple cross effects generated by changes in these prices.     

Can Insurance Activity Act as a Stimulus of Economic Growth? Evidence from Time-Varying Causality in China

This article investigates the nexus between insurance and economic growth in China with a dynamic interactive mechanism to study different time periods. Using quarterly data from 1999 to 2015, the rolling-window causality test provides evidence of bidirectional causality between insurance activity and economic growth. However, the “supply-leading” pattern tends to dominate the “demand-following” pattern, which implies that in China insurance acts as a stimulus of economic growth during most of the period. Property insurance is more effective than life insurance in stimulating economic growth. Some temporary negative impacts from the development of the insurance sector show that China is in the midst of a transition from a closed economy to a more open economy and policy interventions by the government to liberalize the insurance sector. These findings offer several useful insights for policy makers in transition economies and developing countries.     

Circumstance and Choice: The Role of Initial Conditions and Policies in Transition Economies

This article takes an integrated approach to evaluating theinteraction of initial conditions, political change, reformsand economic performance in a unified framework covering 28transition economies in East Asia, Central and Eastern Europe,and the fsu. Initial conditions and economic policy jointlydetermine the large differences in economic performance amongtransition economies. Initial conditions dominate in explaininginflation, but economic liberalization is the most importantfactor determining differences in growth. Political reform emergesas the most important determinant of the speed and comprehensivenessof economic liberalization, raising the important question ofwhat determines political liberalization. Results suggest theimportance of the level of development in determining the decisionto expand political freedoms.     

贸易摩擦、宏观经济波动与经济开放程度的选择

本文构建一个包含关税冲击以及外汇风险溢价的两国开放经济DSGE模型,创新地揭示了关税冲击造成实际汇率波动的“直接效应”与“间接效应”,刻画了关税变动、贸易条件与实际汇率之间的动态关系与作用机制。我们深入分析了不同经济开放程度下贸易摩擦造成的宏观经济波动以及经济福利损失。模拟结果表明,在一定贸易开放程度下,外国加收关税一方面会导致本国贸易条件恶化,引发出口及产出下降;另一方面会导致本国汇率贬值,引发出口及产出增长。关税冲击发生后短期中汇率贬值效应占优,本国产出会出现小幅上升,随后贸易条件恶化效应逐步显现,产出持续下降。福利分析结果表明,本国适度提升贸易开放度,虽然经济福利损失会小幅上升,但福利损失增加幅度小于外国,会在贸易摩擦竞争中形成相对优势;如果本国过度提高贸易开放度,则会导致本国福利损失大幅增加,并且大于外国福利损失增幅,会在贸易摩擦竞争中形成相对劣势。因此,应适度逐步有序地提升贸易开放度。此外,本国适度推进资本账户开放的政策能够改善贸易条件,促进本国经济增长。     

贸易摩擦、宏观经济波动与经济开放程度的选择

本文构建一个包含关税冲击以及外汇风险溢价的两国开放经济DSGE模型,创新地揭示了关税冲击造成实际汇率波动的“直接效应”与“间接效应”,刻画了关税变动、贸易条件与实际汇率之间的动态关系与作用机制。我们深入分析了不同经济开放程度下贸易摩擦造成的宏观经济波动以及经济福利损失。模拟结果表明,在一定贸易开放程度下,外国加收关税一方面会导致本国贸易条件恶化,引发出口及产出下降;另一方面会导致本国汇率贬值,引发出口及产出增长。关税冲击发生后短期中汇率贬值效应占优,本国产出会出现小幅上升,随后贸易条件恶化效应逐步显现,产出持续下降。福利分析结果表明,本国适度提升贸易开放度,虽然经济福利损失会小幅上升,但福利损失增加幅度小于外国,会在贸易摩擦竞争中形成相对优势;如果本国过度提高贸易开放度,则会导致本国福利损失大幅增加,并且大于外国福利损失增幅,会在贸易摩擦竞争中形成相对劣势。因此,应适度逐步有序地提升贸易开放度。此外,本国适度推进资本账户开放的政策能够改善贸易条件,促进本国经济增长。     

货币政策与宏观审慎政策共同支持宏观经济稳定

货币政策是维持宏观经济稳定运行的重要政策工具,但2007—2009年国际金融危机表明,仅仅保持物价水平稳定,忽视金融风险,并不足以维持宏观经济稳定。近年来中国提出双支柱宏观政策框架以支持宏观经济稳定,这一创新具有重要的理论与现实意义。我们首先提出了双支柱宏观调控的框架,强调应该注重两类政策目标的协同与矛盾、政策传导渠道的相互交叉与影响、冲击类型与开放条件的差异等,从而保证双支柱宏观调控对宏观经济的稳定效应。接下来,我们建立了一个DSGE两国模型,作为分析双支柱宏观调控稳定宏观经济的案例研究。研究表明,第一,金融冲击下,货币政策有助于稳定宏观经济,且随着汇率制度从固定转向浮动,货币政策稳定宏观经济的效果会明显加强。第二,在货币政策的基础上,增加以跨境资本流入税为代表的宏观审慎政策工具,可以有效遏制金融市场的顺周期机制,进一步提高宏观经济的稳定性,从而验证了双支柱宏观调控的有效性。第三,双支柱宏观调控的有效性与汇率制度有关,当汇率灵活性水平较低时,双支柱宏观调控对宏观经济的稳定效果更好。     

Flexible inflation targeting and financial stability: Is it enough to stabilize inflation and output?

We investigate empirically whether a central bank can promote financial stability by stabilizing inflation and output, and whether additional stabilization of asset prices and credit growth would enhance financial stability in particular. We employ an econometric model of the Norwegian economy to investigate the performance of simple interest rate rules that allow a response to asset prices and credit growth, in addition to inflation and output. We find that output stabilization tends to improve financial stability. Additional stabilization of house prices, equity prices and/or credit growth enhances stability in both inflation and output, but has mixed effects on financial stability. In general, financial stability as measured by e.g., asset price volatility improves, while financial stability measured by indicators that depend directly on interest rates deteriorates, mainly because of higher interest rate volatility owing to a more active monetary policy.     

Financial Development,Interest Rate Liberalization,and Macroeconomic Volatility

This article examines the relationship between financial development, interest rate liberalization, and macroeconomic volatility in fifty-six emerging and developed economies over the period 1980–2009. We find that financial development plays a significant role in dampening the volatility of macroeconomic growth rate, but up to a limit. The more the interest rate is liberalized, the more likely that financial development can stabilize the economy. Particularly, interest rate liberalization has a more positive influence on emerging and developing countries. Financial development and interest rate liberalization can also alleviate the influence of external shocks. They mutually enhance their functions as economic stabilizers.     

Who benefits from financial liberalization? Evidence from advanced and emerging market economies

In recent decades most countries have implemented significant reforms to foster financial liberalization. This article examines to what extent these reforms have benefited advanced economies and emerging market economies. We focus on four groups of countries: the G-7, other European countries, Latin America and East Asia over the period 1973–2006. We find evidence supporting the hypothesis that the different forms of financial liberalization affected growth differently in the four groups of countries. The main finding is that the benefits of financial liberalization are more important for advanced economies. In contrast, financial liberalization in emerging market economies has a weak positive impact on growth when its scope is limited, whereas full liberalization has been associated with slower economic growth.     

Agenda for a new monetary reform

The thrust of this article is that once more the time has come for a broad debate on domestic and international monetary order and on the role and the rules governing the functioning of financial markets in the modern market economy. We have to define an agenda and seek a consensus for a new monetary reform that will take into account both the positive and negative lessons learned from more than twenty years of experience with liberalization, deregulation and privatization in the financial sector, with flexible exchange rates and international monetary instability. In today's world economy there is an especially dangerous contrast between, on the one hand virtually total globalization of financial markets, and the fixation of monetary policy on narrow national objectives on the other hand. The article lists eight major items that ought to be considered in this debate: (1) the adoption of common rules necessary in a global market economy, (2) the need to return to a true international monetary order, (3) redefining and strengthening the role of central banks, (4) examining the dangers of a primarily short-term finance driven globalization, (5) extending the scope of the concept of price instability beyond the domestic price index, (6) dealing with the problem of artificial risk creation in financial markets and establish a more equitable distribution of the costs of risks, (7) reconsider the current distribution between earning on financial assets and other income and counteract the deflationary bias in the current system, (8) redefine monetary and financial order that is compatible with modern information technologies, rather than lagging behind the information revolution. The article does not offer set solutions for all these issues. Its conclusion is, however, that without such a debate and a consensus on a balanced new approach, there is a real threat of a backlash, the threat of losing the advantages of liberalization and globalization and of a return to increased monetary and economic nationalism and to excessive government intervention and control.     

法国资本账户开放的政策经验与启示

自20世纪80年代初开始,随着国际收支改善、金融部门发展以及金融自由化步伐加快,法国采取渐进式步骤,平稳实现了资本账户开放。文章介绍了法国实施资本账户开放的主要路径以及政策效果和影响,并总结了其对于我国资本账户开放的启示：如在资本账户开放前,应增强本国的实体经济、完善金融体系;资本账户改革需与整体经济改革协调一致;针对不同类别的资本流动风险采取不同防范措施等。     

Foreign Banks and the Dual Effect of Financial Liberalization

In emerging countries, credit market liberalization is often motivated with the financial deepening generated by the entry of foreign financial institutions. However, there is a risk that liberalization may benefit internationally active, export‐oriented businesses at the expense of domestically oriented ones. This paper models a two‐sector economy in which foreign lenders are more efficient than local lenders at extracting value from internationally tradable collateral assets. Under some conditions the entry of foreign lenders eases entrepreneurs’ access to the credit market and raises asset prices and output, but in other circumstances it reduces the depth of the credit market and depresses the price of nontradables and output. Liberalization can have a contractionary impact by inducing a reallocation of credit from the nontradables to the tradables sector.     

If You’re Going Through Hell,Keep Going: Nonlinear Effects of Financial Liberalization in Transition Economies

Did increasing the level and pace of financial liberalization during transition expose countries to crises? And if a crisis did strike, did liberalization do more harm or good? Using a database of 28 transition economies over 22 years, this article examines these questions across a host of economic outcomes, including savings and the size of the private sector. The results provide evidence that, while liberalization may initially increase the probability of a crisis, the prospect of a crisis drops dramatically at higher levels of financial openness. Moreover, the benefits of liberalization across several metrics outweigh the risks of these intermediate stages.     

Stock market liberalization and innovation

We investigate the effect of stock market liberalization on technological innovation. Using a sample of 20 economies that experience stock market liberalization, we find that these economies exhibit a higher level of innovation output after liberalization and that this effect is disproportionately stronger in more innovative industries. The relaxation of financial constraints, enhanced risk sharing between domestic and foreign investors, and improved corporate governance are three plausible channels that allow stock market liberalization to promote innovation. Finally, we show that technological innovation is a mechanism through which stock market liberalization affects productivity growth and therefore economic growth. Our paper provides new insights into the real effects of stock market liberalization on productivity growth and the economy.     

LESSONS FROM THE SOUTHERN CONE POLICY REFORMS

This article assesses the design of stabilization and liberalizationprograms in the Abstract Southern Cone countries of Argentina,Chile, and Uruguay. With the exception of Chile, the reformswere not as widespread as some believed. Little trade liberalizationtook place in Argentina and Uruguay, although some of the antiexportbias was reduced by eliminating taxes on traditional exports.In all three countries, labor markets remained fairly highlyregulated, though it was easier to dismiss labor. In general,liberalization was gradual: even Chile's trade liberalizationspanned five years. The article also shows that the collapse of the three economiesin the early 1980s cannot be ascribed mainly to terms of tradeand interest rate shocks. The main causes of failure were poorlydesigned programs and poor implementation. These errors includedrestrictive wage legislation (Chile) or political instabilitycombined with a preoccupation with keeping unemployment as lowas possible (Argentina). Monetary policy to deal with growingfiscal deficits was inconsistent with the accompanying exchangerate policy (Argentina throughout its reform period and Uruguaytoward the end of its reforms). Financial deregulation was notmatched by appropriate supervision of the financial institutions. The article suggests several policy lessons for countries attemptingto resume growth and restore external balance through a combinationof liberalization and stabilization policies. First, it findsevidence that reductions in distortions produced efficiencygains in Chile and Uruguay even though Uruguay's reforms wereshort-lived. Second, the article shows that policy inconsistenciesundermined the credibility of the later stages of reform inall three countries, eventually producing a crisis. Third, itpresents data that call into question the use of exchange rate-basedstabilization, because of the slow convergence of domestic pricesand interest rates to international levels, which in turn canproduce unsustainably large capital movements. Fourth, the articlestresses the need for caution in financial deregulation.      

中国化泰勒规则的构建与规则利率的估算——基于考虑金融周期信息的潜在产出与自然利率的再估算

我国货币政策正在向价格型调控方式转型,有必要探索符合我国实际的泰勒规则以确定政策利率目标水平,而如何科学合理地估算潜在产出和自然利率是关键。本文对构建多目标下的中国化泰勒规则时应考虑的因素作了深入探讨,并将金融周期信息纳入我国潜在产出的测算,同时采用基于潜在产出的方法对自然利率进行估算,进而分不同情形尝试估算我国的规则利率水平。结果表明,考虑金融周期信息后的潜在产出在金融扩张期将低于传统方法的估计结果,可为政策制定者有效应对经济运行的过热现象或泡沫化状态提供参考;无论是基于何种潜在产出和自然利率的测算组合,将国内外利差、房价涨幅偏离经济增长程度纳入中国化泰勒规则的构建均是合理的;不同情形下估算的规则利率走势,自2004年以来与货币市场利率走势均较为相近,且2013年后随着利率市场化改革的快速推进,差距呈明显缩小态势,但2017年下半年至2018年期间,受国际宏观形势和国内因素影响,估算的规则利率均快速上扬,与货币市场利率走低形成反差。     

Absorptive Capabilities,FDI, and Economic Growth in Transition Economies

This article advances the literature on economic growth and Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) in transition economies by incorporating data on “absorbtive capabilities” of the host economy including R&D indicators and by enhancing the quality of data on FDI. We explore whether countries with accumulated technological and innovative capabilities gain significantly more from FDI. We find that FDI exerts an exogenous positive impact on economic growth, while FDI tends to have a larger impact on economic growth when there is sufficient absorptive capacity and when occurring in technologically more advanced transition economies. The results are robust to different specifications and consideration of endogeneity.     

中国化泰勒规则的构建与规则利率的估算——基于考虑金融周期信息的潜在产出与自然利率的再估算

我国货币政策正在向价格型调控方式转型,有必要探索符合我国实际的泰勒规则以确定政策利率目标水平,而如何科学合理地估算潜在产出和自然利率是关键。本文对构建多目标下的中国化泰勒规则时应考虑的因素作了深入探讨,并将金融周期信息纳入我国潜在产出的测算,同时采用基于潜在产出的方法对自然利率进行估算,进而分不同情形尝试估算我国的规则利率水平。结果表明,考虑金融周期信息后的潜在产出在金融扩张期将低于传统方法的估计结果,可为政策制定者有效应对经济运行的过热现象或泡沫化状态提供参考;无论是基于何种潜在产出和自然利率的测算组合,将国内外利差、房价涨幅偏离经济增长程度纳入中国化泰勒规则的构建均是合理的;不同情形下估算的规则利率走势,自2004年以来与货币市场利率走势均较为相近,且2013年后随着利率市场化改革的快速推进,差距呈明显缩小态势,但2017年下半年至2018年期间,受国际宏观形势和国内因素影响,估算的规则利率均快速上扬,与货币市场利率走低形成反差。     

中国资本产出、资本回报与资本流向之谜--基于劳动力价格扭曲视角北大核心

本文通过建立生产部门的要素买方垄断市场均衡模型,利用1996-2016年中国省级面板数据测算中国劳动力价格扭曲程度,并使用固定效应模型(FE)及面板固定效应的工具变量(IV)估计方法加以分析,从劳动力价格扭曲视角解答了中国资本产出、资本回报与资本流向之谜,即中国经济如何在赶超阶段面临资本深化不断加剧和TFP增长乏力的情况下,依靠劳动力价格扭曲实现低资本产出与高资本回报水平共存,从而维持长期高速资本积累以及优质的资本流向结构。实证研究表明:劳动力价格扭曲降低了资本产出效率,但这并不能掩盖由劳动力向资本方转移的垄断利润对资本回报的直接补贴,因此劳动力价格扭曲对中国维持高资本回报水平起到了重要的支撑作用,并通过高资本回报水平实现了地区资本快速积累,劳动力价格扭曲对资本流向的积极作用还体现在抑制资本"脱实向虚"及吸引外资流入。因此,应正视劳动力价格扭曲在赶超阶段的特殊作用,在矫正扭曲的过程中循序渐进,更积极采取措施规避其对资本回报和资本流向可能产生的不利影响。