THE CONCEPT OF MACROECONOMIC COST AND ITS UTILITY

The proposed "Variable Domestic Cost" includes all net payments by sectors belonging to the productive system (enterprises, credit institutions and government) to all other sectors (households, private non-profit organizations and the rest of the world). Compared with the rate of growth of demand, represented by Gross Domestic Marketable Product at current prices, the rate of growth of VDC per unit produced forms the "profitability function of the nation." Profitability is positively related to the rate of economic growth and to the price/cost relation. A relative deceleration of unit VDC stimulates economic growth, which enlarges the positive difference between price and cost, and that, in turn, accelerates economic growth. Inversely, a relative acceleration of unit VDC brakes economic growth, while a slowdown in production raises unit costs and depresses prices. The resulting fall in profitability stops economic growth.
The main explanatory variables of demand are World trade, monetary and fiscal policy and import prices. The main components of VDC are enterprises' wage costs, social benefits minus social contributions and the government wage bill minus direct taxes payable by households. The fact that in West Germany all these unit costs were increasing more slowly than in France explains why Geman economic growth, much slower than French before 1975, outpaced it after that year, achieving a lower rate of inflation, a larger positive balance of trade and a higher appreciation of the national currency.
The concept of VDC is a useful contribution to the theories of inflation and of economic fluctuations and provides a possible explanation of structural unemployment. Maintaining VDC at a lowest possible level should be considered a major object of economic policy.     

当前宏观经济政策中几个疑点问题分析

本在充分肯定当前宏观经济政策基本走向的同时,对财政政策、货币政策、收入分配政策中几个疑点问题进行了全面深入的分析,提出了富有新意的见解。作的结论是：“积极的财政政策”、“适当的货币政策”,这样的概括和称谓不科学;反通货紧缩用货币量的单纯扩张不能通缩的结果很可能是滞胀;公职人员加薪不能带动其他社会成员增收,其它社会群体增加收入要从他们所处的现实经济关系中去寻找。     

Ökonometrische Inflationsanalyse für Österreich 1960/1975

Summary The following econometric study analyses the inflationary process in Austria since 1960. Price equations are estimated for the period 1960/1973 and several subperiods with quarterly and yearly data, forecasts of the development of the GNP-deflator and the consumer price index are made for 1974 and 1975. In this way it is possible to quantify the relative importance of inflationary factors and to test the stability of the price determination structures. Special emphasis is laid on the rôle of monetary variables and of price expectations in the process of price determination.The conclusion of the study is that accelerating inflation in the 70ies can be explained by the same factors than creeping inflation of the 50ies and 60ies. Inflation has always been of a mixed type, though the relative weight of cost, demand, monetary and expectational variables changed during the observation period. There is no sign that a new type of inflation with new behaviour patterns was emerging in the last years. Even the extraordinary (externally influenced) price rise in 1974 can be explained by price functions of traditional structure. Forecasts for 1975 show no substantial diminuation of inflationary pressures.     

Optimal Loan Loss Provisions and Welfare

We study the welfare implications of optimal loan loss provisions in a New Keynesian model featuring endogenous default risk and inflationary credit spreads. A unique link between provisions, credit spreads and inflation can be employed to enhance macroeconomic stability. Optimal provisions are most effective when dealing with cost-push financial shocks inherent in volatile spreads and the zero bound problem of monetary policy. Relaxing provisioning requirements following a recessionary financial disturbance consistently achieves the first-best outcome while nullifying the value of monetary policy under commitment. In contrast, deflationary demand shocks warrant an optimal rise in provisions, which inflate prices yet mildly contract output.     

Assessing the price and output effects of monetary policy in Vietnam: evidence from a VAR analysis

Using monthly data, we perform a vector-autoregressive analysis to measure the effects of monetary policy on the Vietnamese economy. We concentrate our attention on the period following the introduction of the Law on Central Bank in January 1998 (which brought the national monetary policy and its objectives in line with international practices). Contrary to previous studies on Vietnam, we find evidence suggesting that monetary policy (through the manipulation of interest rates) is an effective policy tool in stabilizing prices. However, credit growth tends to induce inflationary pressures. In addition, we find that an expansion of broad money supply leads to an increase in industrial production.     

Optimal monetary policy under Calvo pricing with Bertrand competition

We consider a NK model characterized by a small and fixed number of firms competing in prices à la Bertrand and we study the implications for monetary policy under both exogenous and endogenous market concentration. We find that the implied NKPC has a lower slope compared to a standard NK model with atomistic firms, and the determinacy region enlarges assuming a standard Taylor rule. We characterize the impact of competition on the optimal monetary rules within the linear-quadratic approach of Rotemberg–Woodford. The optimal monetary rule requires a less aggressive reaction to inflationary shocks compared to monopolistic competition, but an increase in competition, due to either an increase in substitutability between the goods or in the number of firms, makes it optimal to adopt a more aggressive reaction in front of inflationary shocks. Finally, more competition increases the gains from commitment.     

Inflation and Relative Price Variability in a Low Inflation Country: Empirical Evidence for Germany

Abstract. The recent literature on the welfare cost of inflation emphasizes inflation's effect on the variability of relative prices. Expected and unexpected inflation have both been proposed to increase relative price variability (RPV) and, thereby, to distort the information content of nominal prices. This paper presents new evidence on the impact of inflation on RPV in Germany. Our results indicate that the influence of expected inflation disappears if a credible monetary policy stabilizes inflationary expectations on a low level. Yet the significant impact of unexpected inflation suggests that even low inflation rates can lead to welfare losses by raising RPV above its efficient level.     

The effect of monetary policy on output in EMU3: A sign restriction approach

This paper examines the effects of monetary policy shocks on output in the three largest euro area economies – Germany, France and Italy (EMU3) – by applying a new VAR identification procedure. The results show that monetary policy innovations are at their most potent in Germany. However, apart from Germany, it remains ambiguous as to whether a rise in interest rates concludes with a fall in output, showing a lack of homogeneity in the responses. Homogeneity in response to a monetary shock is crucial in a one-size-fits-all framework. Nonetheless, the lack of similarity between the responses, which is hypothesised to cause de-synchronised business cycles in optimal currency area literature, is often based on the premise that monetary policy itself is a major source of business cycle fluctuations. This paper concludes that monetary policy innovations play, at most, a modest role in generating fluctuations in output for the EMU3. Consequently, it is less important whether the effects of monetary policy are homogenous.     

Impact of asset price fluctuation on China’s monetary policy: An empirical analysis based on quarterly data, 1994–2006

The strenuous fluctuation in global asset price in recent years has had a profound impact on the economic and social development of every country. An empirical analysis indicates that asset prices (the stock price index and real estate prices) are important endogenous variables affecting the interest rate reaction function of central bank monetary policy. With expected inflation as a given, each one percentage point rise in output gap will cause a 0.79 percentage point reduction in interest rates by the central bank and each one percentage point rise in real estate price will result in a 2.2 percentage point rise in interest rates. The stock price index does have an influence on the trends in monetary policy, but it is less salient than the impact of housing prices. We also show that monetary policy that employs asset price as an endogenous variable increases the central bank’s control in seeking to attain its objectives. Therefore we suggest that the central bank should make asset price fluctuation an endogenous variable and incorporate it into its forward-looking interest rate rule, in order to facilitate the healthy development of China’s markets for real estate, stocks and derivatives, energy and bulk commodities and maintain rapid, smooth, sustainable and harmonious economic development.     

Social benefit expenditures and stagflation: evidence from the United States

Stagflation refers to the terrible economic malaise associated with declining growth, hyperinflation and high unemployment. Unlike previous cost-push explanations such as an overheated labour market and oil prices, this article suggests that social benefit expenditures are a potential cause of stagflation. We investigate the impact of social benefit expenditures on stagflation in the U.S. over the 1950–2014 period by employing an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration, which was developed by Pesaran, Shin, and Smith. The influence of social benefit expenditures on economic growth and inflation and unemployment rates is estimated. The empirical results from the U.S. suggest that economic growth responds negatively to social benefit expenditures, while inflation and unemployment rates are both positively associated with social benefit expenditures. Thus, government-led rigid welfare could contribute to stagflation in the U.S. Instead of increasing people’s happiness, the over-burdened welfare system could push people into economic malaise. This stagflation risk shouldn’t be ignored. These results are important for U.S. policymakers and can inform other governments characterized by high levels of well-being.     

Oil and the Euro area economy

We examine the macroeconomic effects of different types of oil shocks and the oil transmission mechanism in the Euro area. A comparison is made with the US and across individual member countries. First, we find that the underlying source of the oil price shift is crucial to determine the repercussions on the economy and the appropriate monetary policy reaction. Second, the transmission mechanism is considerably different compared to the US. In particular, inflationary effects in the US are mainly driven by a strong direct pass-through of rising energy prices and indirect effects of higher production costs. In contrast, Euro area inflation reacts sluggishly and is much more driven by second-round effects of increasing wages. The monetary policy reaction of the ECB to oil shocks is also strikingly different compared to the FED. The inflation objective, relative to the output stabilization objective, appears more important for Euro area monetary authorities than for the FED. Third, there are substantial asymmetries across member countries. These differences are due to different labour market dynamics which are further aggravated by a common monetary policy stance which does not fit all.
--- Gert Peersman and Ine Van Robays     

Has the ‘franc fort’ exchange rate policy affected the inflationary dynamics? Theory and new evidence

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of the ‘franc fort’ policy implemented in France from 1983 on the inflationary dynamics by means of a square root Kalman filter approach. An interesting aspect of the analysis is the evidence that the ‘franc fort’ exchange rate policy had a significant impact on the inflationary dynamics in France through its credibility effects. These results confirm the imported credibility hypothesis according to which the French authorities accelerated the disinflation process by importing the German monetary policy credibility through the ‘hard peg’ of the franc–DM exchange rate. These findings show that inflation dynamics in France began to converge significantly to that in Germany after the implementation of the ‘franc fort’ policy, making more credible the plan for the final transition to the euro. Moreover, this analysis may also reveal much about the nature of potential success of the current initiative of the new member countries now in the process of joining the EU and looking eventually to adopt the euro.     

基于SVAR的中国货币政策的房价传导机制

本文采用2005年7月到2009年9月宏观经济数据构建SVAR模型,分别从货币供给的利率传导机制,现金余额效应,汇率传导机制以及房地产价格对货币供给的反馈机制四个角度进行实证分析,发现:货币量的增加和汇率上升都会带来房价的大幅上涨,而利率提高所带来的房价下降程度很小,房价的上涨会引起物价和消费上涨。结论:当今房地产市场中,存在着货币政策的房价传导机制,其中利率机制对房价影响较小;在汇率机制传导过程中,中央银行为了稳定币值和升值预期引起的国际资本流入导致货币供应量被动增加,从而直接导致了房地产价格上涨。因此提出货币政策应当关注房地产价格,既要防止形成房地产价格泡沫,又要避免温水煮青蛙。     

滞胀风险下的宏观经济调整与货币政策选择

随着金融危机向实体经济转移和扩散,我国经济增长出现下滑,已远低于潜在增长率;而由宽松货币政策所导致的广义货币供应量在不断增加,通货膨胀压力正逐步显现。在外需短期无法恢复、内需相对不足的情况下,滞胀的风险在逐步加大。VEC模型结果表明:货币流通速度、广义货币供应量增长速度共同决定我国通货膨胀率。当经济景气程度上升、货币流通速度加快时,货币供应量增长过快会引发通货膨胀。因此,现阶段应在有效监控经济景气程度和货币流通速度的基础上,对宏观经济政策进行微调,以便提高政策搭配效果,有效化解风险。     

经济稳定动态监测系统探讨——基于交易资金流量模型的分析

经济虚拟化程度的加深使传统经济理论对"滞胀"与货币流通速度等现实经济问题的解释力普遍下降。尤其是世界各国频繁爆发的金融危机更是表明了基于传统资金流量分析法建立经济稳定的指标体系并不能对当代经济稳定进行有效的预警与监测。只有将价格、重复交易量与真实的货币流量结合分析才能透彻地反映价格与交易量对经济稳定性的影响。     

THE INSTABILITY IN THE MONETARY POLICY REACTION FUNCTION AND THE ESTIMATION OF MONETARY POLICY SHOCKS

We extend Romer and Romer's (2004) analysis of the estimation and the effects of monetary policy shocks by controlling for (1) changes in the monetary policy reaction function and (2) changes in the response of output and prices over time with an extended data set. The results suggest that the post 1979 responses of output and prices to a monetary policy shock are significantly different from what has been reported for the whole sample: While output and prices respond significantly and negatively if their response is estimated for the whole sample period (1969–2005), the response of output is insignificant for the period of 1979–2005, and the response of prices is much weaker. The analysis of the changes in the monetary policy conducted over time allows us to partly attribute the diminished price and output responses to a successful monetary policy which led to a less volatile economy during the great moderation. (JEL E52, E32, C50)     

货币流动性对中国资产市场的冲击效应研究——来自1997—2010年的经验证据

金融危机后,中国实施了积极的财政政策和适度宽松的货币政策,虽然经济实现了快速复苏,但资产价格上涨的压力也再度显现。实证研究结果表明,货币流动性与我国资产价格之间存在单向的格兰杰因果关系,脉冲响应函数结果也显示,流动性过剩后一般会出现资产价格上涨,尤以房地产市场和股票市场的脉冲响应较为明显,债券市场的脉冲响应相对不太显著。     

AN EXAMINATION OF THE EFFECTS OF ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS ON RETAIL GASOLINE PRICE SEASONALITY

Stricter environmental standards on gasoline have had impacts on the prices of gasoline including the seasonality of gasoline prices. Using both national data and individual station data, the paper tests for a possible explanation for this increase. Three theories are tested: that gasoline seasonality increases due to higher costs, due to greater market power because of segmented markets, or due to greater asymmetry because of greater inattention on the part of customers. The results suggest that gasoline price seasonality has increased both due to higher costs and greater market power with mixed results on the inattention of consumers.(JEL Q41, Q53, Q58).     

Stagflation and expansionary economic policies under flexible exchange rates

For a small Keynesian open economy with imported inputs and rational price expectations of workers it is shown that under flexible exchange rates expansionary domestic monetary or fiscal policy may cause stagflation. Simple conditions for such an outcome are given.     

Taxation,rational expectations,and the neutrality of money

When progressive taxation of nominal income is introduced into a Barro-type monetary model with rational expectations, money may not be neutral even in the long run. In the short run, unanticipated money changes may cause output and prices to move either in the same or in opposite directions. The implications of this model are consistent with both the traditional inflation-output trade-off and the more recent phenomenon of “stagflation.”