Monetary equilibrium and price stickiness reconsidered: A reply to Bagus and Howden

Bagus and Howden (Review of Austrian Economics 24(4): 383?C402, 2011) argue that price stickiness is a poor justification for advocating a flexible money supply through the issuing of fiduciary media under central or free banking. They view the contraction in output following an exogenous increase in money demand as an optimal response, worry about redistribution effects from the issuance of fiduciary media, and claim a changing money supply complicates economic calculation. Accepting their view that the contraction in output is an optimal response to an exogenous change in money demand, we still find a potentially beneficial role for monetary policy (under central banking) or fractional reserve note issue (under free banking). We show that even if all prices were perfectly flexible, changes in the money supply to offset changes in money demand might still be desirable. We point out several errors and mischaracterizations in their article, justify our decision to disregard wealth transfers, and discuss how a flexible money supply might facilitate economic calculation.     

The causal nexus of money,output and prices in Malaysia

Using Geweke's approach to Wiener–Granger causality,bidirectional causation between money supply and nominal output were detected. Inflation in Malaysia is essentially a monetary phenomenon. The empirical findings suggest that by controlling money supply, the central bank might be able to successfully maintain price stability at producer's level but not at consumer's level unless narrow money stock is bring targeted. Serious attempts by the central bank to tighten money supply could have a strong feedback on real output and even instaneous impact on nominal output     

Is there Causal Relationship between Money Supply Growth and Inflation in China? Evidence from Quantity Theory of Money

This study examines the causal relationship between Chinese money supply growth and inflation, using the bootstrap Granger full‐sample causality test and sub‐sample rolling‐window estimation test to determine whether such a relationship in China supports the quantity theory of money. The result indicates that there is a unidirectional relationship from inflation to money supply growth. However, considering structural changes in two series, we find that short‐run relationships using full‐sample data are unstable, which suggests that full‐sample causality tests cannot be relied upon. Then, we use a time‐varying rolling‐window approach to revisit the dynamic causal relationship, and the results show that money supply growth has both positive and negative impacts on inflation in several sub‐periods, and in turn, inflation has the same effects on money supply growth for China. These findings are basically consistent with the modern quantity theory of money from the perspective of money supply and price level. When money supply growth does not outweigh output growth, inflation should not be curbed only by decreasing money supply. It notes that a stable money supply growth is critical to price level stability and economic development in China.     

中国货币供应、通货膨胀及经济增长关系实证研究

采用协整与方差分解的方法时中国货币供应、通货膨胀与经济增长的关系进行实证研究发现,通货膨胀与经济增长在短期和长期中作用关系相反,但都具有回归自然水平趋势,货币供应时通货膨胀和经济增长的影响具有滞后效应,长期内货币非中性。而通货膨胀和经济增长并不影响货币供应。一方面。应当采取措施降低货币供应增长率：另一方面,偏紧货币政策的滞后效应可能导致经济紧缩应当采取措施降低货币供应增长率,因此应谨慎调控宏观经济政策,以避免金融风险。     

Can growth-enhanced monetary policy improve welfare when people seek social status?

This paper examines the growth and welfare effects from an increase in the rate of money supply in an Ak type growth model with a relative wealth-enhanced social status motive, production externalities, and liquidity constraints. When only consumption is constrained by liquidity, fast money supply can hasten output growth unless seigniorage revenue is wasted and production externalities do not exist. We find that even though money growth normally promotes economic growth, it does not improve welfare when capital stock is over-accumulated. In general, an optimal monetary policy minimizes seigniorage. Our results also conclude that the optimal monetary policy rarely follows the Friedman rule.     

An optimal monetary policy in an aggregate neoclassical model of economic growth

This paper shows that the usual Ramsey-Cass-Koopmans optimal-growth theory is applicable to decentralized monetary economies and illustrates, with a simple model, how optimal growth can be achieved via a simple monetary policy. Securities and the endogeneity aspect of the money supply are explicitly introduced. This paper shows that the steady state under optimal growth is a saddle point, that the dynamic behavior of the capital-labor ratio and real per capita consumption is identical to that found in the usual literature in which money is not introduced, and that the optimal monetary policy is “counter-cyclical.”     

On the private provision of fiat currency

This paper considers whether fiat money can be provided by a revenue-maximizing monopolist in an environment where money is essential. Two questions arise concerning the private supply of money: Is it feasible and is it optimal? Concerning the feasibility question, I show that the revenue-maximizing policy is time-consistent if the trading history of the issuer is public information and if money demanders respond to the revelation of defection by playing autarky. Concerning the optimality question, the model suggests that any private organization of the market for fiat currency is suboptimal.     

An empirical procedure to evaluate monetary management under exogenous changes in the money supply

This article proposes an empirical procedure to evaluate central banks’ monetary management in a presence of exogenous changes in the money supply. Monetary shocks deviate the market interest rate from the target, and the monetary authority decides its optimal intervention in the money market, bearing in mind the benefits and costs of re-establishing its target interest rate. According to monetary management theory, typically a central bank will allow for variation in the interest rate within a range around the target interest rate, thereby intervening in the money market when the interest rate trends toward a point outside that range. In this context, we develop an empirical strategy to analyse central bank’s reactions to exogenous money changes by making a statistical comparison of the actual and the estimated intraday shift in the money supply. We also employ our method to test the reactions of the Brazilian Central Bank to liquidity shifts caused by changes in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) balance. Using different metrics of analysis, the applications of our procedure confirms the predictions of the optimal monetary management theory.     

The robustness of optimal equilibrium among overlapping generations

Summary. We combine and strengthen optimality and robustness theorems for the overlapping-generations model of money. Roughly, we find a Pareto-optimal monetary equilibrium of a generic stationary economy that is near an optimal monetary equilibrium of each nearby non-stationary economy. Since the nearby equilibria are monetary, the general problem of macroeconomic stabilization reduces to maintaining the money supply. And since the nearby equilibria are optimal, stabilization is socially desirable. Received: October 27, 1997; revised version: March 25, 1998     

Money–output Granger causal dynamics in China

This paper attempts to investigate the time-varying causal dynamics between China's money and output by using a Markov switching causality approach. Unlike the pre-specified break points and rolling-window methods, the Markov switching causality approach can capture the time-varying causality patterns endogenously. Our empirical results show that there are bidirectional time-varying Granger causalities between China's money and output. On the one hand, the money supply Granger-causes output when the economy is overheated or during recession, whilst it has no significant effect on output when the economy grows moderately; the short term interest rate only has temporary effect on output, suggesting the ineffectiveness of the interest rate based monetary policy. On the other hand, output only affects the money supply in short periods, whilst the feedback of output on the short term interest rate has distinct regime switching features, which implies that the nonlinear Taylor rule targeting on the short term interest rate is more appropriate than the McCallum rule in describing China's monetary policy reaction function.     

Is money an omitted variable in the production function? Some further results

In recent years, numerous studies have emphasized the role of real balances in the production function in terms of money being useful: as an intermediate good; as liquid reserves for investment; and also serving as a link between aggregate supply and the nominal interest rate. In this paper we report new Canadian empirical evidence regarding the important role of money in the production process of aggregate manufacturing industries based on a flexible translog cost function approach. In general, our results support the hypothesis that money is an important factor in the production function and that there are potential supply side effects of a change in the interest rate.     

Coffee export booms and monetary disequilibrium: some evidence for Colombia

The theoretical models that analyse the monetary consequences of export booms show that under a regime of fixed exchange rates, they affect not only the demand for money, via real income, but also the money supply via foreign exchange accumulation. Within this theoretical framework, this study proposes an empirical approach to determine whether the coffee booms of the second half of the 1970s and mid–1980s led to excess money supply in the Colombian economy. The findings provide evidence in favour of a direct association between coffee export booms and excess money supply, implying that external disturbances jeopardize the ability of the economic authorities to carry out successful monetary policy.     

MULTIVARIATE COINTEGRATION APPROACH TO THE DETERMINATION OF RESERVES AND BANK CREDIT: A CASE STUDY OF TURKEY*

The paper estimates both long-run reserves and long-run money demand equations using the multivariate cointegration approach. An economic model is constructed, based on the monetary approach to balance of payments in which the monetary authorities can control money supply through changes in bank credit. The vector auto-regressive methodology is used to derive latent equilibrium relationships, and the short-run error correction equations are estimated for both nominal money stock and reserves. A response function for the short-run changes in bank credit is developed. Given the institutional system and slow adjustments, a response function of changes in bank credit to lagged changes in reserves performs well for the period 1960–88.     

Post Keynesian Approaches to Endogenous Money: A time framework explanation

Over the last two decades, work on the Post Keynesian theory of endogenous money has been flourishing, and has prompted a rethinking of the complex nature of money in modern economies. At the heart of the debate between what have now been labelled the accommodationist (or horizontalist) approach and the structuralist approach to endogenous money are the issues of the slope of the supply curves of reserves and of credit money, respectively. Using the distinction between a single period analysis and a continuation analysis, similarities and differences between those approaches are explained, and the suggestion is then made for retaining and re-interpreting them into a more general theory.     

Implementing the Friedman rule

In cash-in-advance models, necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an equilibrium with zero nominal interest rates and Pareto optimal allocations place restrictions mainly on the very long-run, or asymptotic, behavior of the money supply. When these asymptotic conditions are satisfied, they leave the central bank with a great deal of flexibility to manage the money supply over any finite horizon. But what happens when these asymptotic conditions fail to hold? This paper shows that the central bank can still implement the Friedman rule if its actions are appropriately constrained in the short run.     

我国通货膨胀与货币供给和经济增长的关系研究

基于协整检验和VAR模型选取1984～2010年的年度数据研究了通货膨胀与货币供给和经济增长之间的关系,研究表明:货币供给和经济增长都会导致通货膨胀,但通货膨胀不会引发货币超发,且一定的通货膨胀对经济增长具有正向刺激作用;货币供应量扩张对通货膨胀有促进作用,但影响程度逐步减弱,经济增长也会促使物价水平的上涨,但影响程度明显小于货币供给水平的影响;经济增长对物价水平的影响小于货币供应量对物价水平的影响,即货币供应量诱发通货膨胀,抑制通货膨胀的最好途径是解决货币供给问题;经济系统中存在"通货膨胀螺旋"效应。     

HONG KONG'S INDETERMINACY PUZZLE: INSTITUTIONALIST AND ECONOMETRIC APPROACHES*

During the free-issue regime (1974–1983), Hong Kong's money supply, price level and exchange rates were wholly governed by market forces. The system did not seem to have any nominal anchor. Theoretically its price level was indeterminate, engendering what is called an indeterminacy puzzle. The paper elaborates on the concept of price level indeterminacy and undertakes the question of empirical determination of the price level indeterminacy during the free-issue regime. The empirical investigation employs two distinct approaches - institutionalist and econometric. The results of the two approaches indicate the necessity of a broader approach to historical analyses. The paper also informs us about the relationship among money supply, price level and exchange rate in a regime of fiat money without a central bank.     

货币供给内生外生辨析

货币供给究竟是内生的还是外生的,这是货币金融领域始终争论不休的问题。货币数量论从货币数量与物价变动的关系得出货币具有外生性;凯恩斯的货币供给观由于经济环境的改变经历了由内生向外生的转变;后凯恩斯主义者则从信贷货币的产生过程得出货币内生的观点.综观货币发展史,内生与外生之争还有标准的混乱和概念不同等原因。     

货币供应量对我国宏观经济调控作用的模型研究

一直以来货币供应量作为中介指标在宏观经济调控中的作用受到很多专家、学者的关注，关注的焦点都集中在货币供应量作为中介指标是否合理这一问题上.本文针对我国货币供应量作的宏观调控作用，试建立了关于货币供应量增长率、名义国内生产总值增长率和消费价格指数增长率三者的经济模型，同时做出货币供应量的冲击响应曲线图。经进一步实证分析，得出结论和建议。