Monetary policy on interest rates: a retrospective analysis since Thornton

Abstract

In response to the affirmation by certain authors and critics of a recent return to an interest-rate policy that, in their opinion, resembles a throwback to the nineteenth century theory of monetary policy on interest rates, I pose the question of the difficulties of interest-rate policy in a retrospective analysis beginning with the current that founded the short-term interest rate policy within classical analysis and by focusing my discussion on several key authors (Thornton, Banking School, Bagehot, Wicksell, Keynes, contemporary authors such as Woodford). To this end, I study the importance that the interbank money market plays for these authors, which determines the target rate for the central bank.     

论货币供应量作为我国货币政策中介目标的有效性

本文把理论分析与实证分析相结合,运用协整检验、VEC模型和方差分解方法分析了1996年以来我国货币供应量、物价和产出的季度时间序列,论证了货币供应量与物价、产出间具有较强的相关性。从货币供应量的构成分析,基础货币具有较强的可控性;货币乘数可控性较差,但对货币乘数可以利用ARMA模型进行较为准确的预测。由此,本文得出的结论是货币供应量具有较强的可控性,从而有理由认为,货币供应量作为我国货币政策的中介目标在现阶段仍然是有效的。     

Money and totality: A review essay

Moseley’s (2016 Moseley, F. 2016. Money and Totality: A Macro-Monetary Interpretation of Marx’s Logic in Capital and the End of the Transformation Problem. Leiden: Brill Publishers. [Google Scholar]) Money and Totality focuses on two important issues: (a) the nature and significance of Marx’s notion of the “circuit of money capital” and (b) the solution to the “transformation problem”. The former question, in particular, makes this book important not only for Marx specialists but also for other dissenting economists. Recall that in writings before the General Theory Keynes (1933a, 1933b), in particular, made allusion to the Marxian circuit via the concept of the monetary theory of production. However, these references did not survive in the published version in 1936. Nor was Keynes at all confident on this topic in debate the following year. It is therefore important to both Marx scholars and other heterodox economists to inquire exactly how the Marxian circuit was supposed to work. A starting point is to write out the scheme from Capital Vol. 2 (Marx, 1885/1976 Marx, K. 1885/1976. Capital: Vol. II. London: Penguin Books. [Google Scholar]) in full, M – C?…?P … C’ –?M’, and try to explain what the magnitudes (M’ – M) and (C’ – C), are supposed to represent. This is indeed one of Moseley’s main tasks in this thought-provoking book.     

货币需求稳定性、货币目标制与中国货币政策框架改革

稳定的货币需求是货币目标制有效发挥作用的前提条件。文章首先从理论上阐述了货币需求与货币目标制的内在关联。其次,基于协整理论与误差修正模型,利用1996-2011年季度数据实证检验了中国货币需求函数的稳定性。实证研究结果表明,中国长期货币需求函数和短期货币需求函数的系数都缺乏稳定性。货币需求函数的不稳定势必增加中国以货币供应量为中间目标的货币政策操作难度,从而导致现行货币目标制的有效性和适宜性不断降低。最后提出为提高货币政策框架的有效性,中国应择机引入通胀目标制。     

Marx and Menger on value: as many similarities as differences

This paper argues that, as far as theories of value and moneyare concerned, Marx and Menger have more in common than hasbeen traditionally maintained. Each of them had his own abstractconcept of value, distinct from labour or utility and priorto prices. Moreover, both proposed theories of value form andprovided explanations of the origin of money. These conceptsand theories can hardly be found in the works of Smith and Ricardo,nor in those of Jevons and Walras, because they were primarilyconcerned with the determination of exchange ratios. Furthermore,Marx and Menger become more sharply divided owing to their similarities.They shared many questions to which they offered opposite answers.     

马克思货币需求理论与西方货币需求理论的比较

货币理论是经济学中最富争论的理论之一。货币理论的基础也就是供求规律。对于其中的货币需求理论,从古至今有不少学者发表了不同的看法,形成了几种互不相同但彼此又有一定联系的学说。比较这些理论的异同,对于我们学习货币理论并制定和分析现实的货币政策具有重要的理论意义和实践价值。     

Existence of Equilibria in Matching Models of Money: A New Technique

This paper develops a new technique for proving the existence and indeterminacy of monetary equilibria in money search models with divisible money. Our technique is substantially simpler than standard constructive proofs in the literature. This paper is based on the second half of Kamiya and Shimizu (2002). We are very grateful to the associate editor and an anonymous referee of this journal for their very detailed suggestions and comments. This research is financially supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from JSPS and MEXT. The second author also acknowledges the financial support by Zengin Foundation for studies on Economics and Finance.     

政府国库资金、货币供给与货币政策有效性

政府财政行为对货币政策效应的影响是宏观经济学的一个热点问题,文章从政府资产角度出发,运用1994～2005年中国国库资金季度数据,采用协整分析方法对政府国库资金、货币供给和货币政策有效性问题,作实证检验。研究表明:(1)国库资金增减导致基础货币收缩和扩张,短期内国库资金变动会使货币供应量发生显著的反向波动,国库资金是货币供应量的Granger因,国库资金对货币供应量波动有较高的解释力,央行的货币供给由于国库资金而产生被动性。(2)国库资金与货币政策有效性之间存在密切关系,货币当局将国库资金变量纳入货币政策中介目标监控体系,有助于提高货币政策的有效性,国库资金成为财政政策与货币政策新的结合点。     

Sectoral Structure and Change: Insights from Marx

ABSTRACT

At the time of Marx’s birth two centuries ago, the Industrial Revolution was well underway, and the economic and social changes which it wrought formed the backdrop to Marx’s own ideas. The advanced economies of the world were then industrialising, yet today most countries are deindustrialising. What light can a Marxist analysis shed on sectoral structure, sectoral specificity and sectoral change in the early 21st century? A Marxist approach is distinctive and valuable in how it approaches these sectoral issues, and the following interrelated aspects are discussed here: classifying activities in the first instance according to position in the circuit of capital rather than by sectors; a non-phenomenological approach to classifying activities; a non-physicalist conception of commodities; underscoring the extent of intra-sectoral heterogeneity; recognising the importance of manufacturing and of industrialisation; and implications for analysing changes in sectoral structure.     

Money Quantity and Optimal Monetary and Fiscal Policy: A Quantitative Analysis

This paper quantitatively analyzes the impact of money stock on optimal monetary and fiscal policy in a stochastic production economy with sticky prices. The numerical results indicate that a sufficient large quantity of money makes a noticeable difference in many aspects of optimal monetary and fiscal policy. They suggest that the volatile inflation in China may not be as bad as the existing theory would have implied if its large amount of money is taken into consideration.     

货币政策是否应关注资产价格——基于货币稳定的视角

货币稳定是一个伴随着货币交易范围扩展而不断拓展的概念,资产交易规模使资产价格波动能严重影响货币稳定和社会福利,因此,货币稳定应当包括资产价格稳定。利用中国1998-2009年月度、季度数据,以及协整检验、误差修正估计和方差分析等方法研究后得出:资产价格与传统通货膨胀指标现值及预期值存在联动性、与经济运行中的货币存量具有显著的数量解释关系,资产价格通过影响消费、投资等经济因素冲击着货币政策效果;货币政策对维护包括资产价格在内的货币稳定并非无能为力,经验表明资产价格往往对货币政策调整做出积极反应。因此,货币稳定指标应根据传统通货膨胀指标和资产价格指标综合计算,即货币政策应根据资产价格传导机制,精确分析资产价格与货币中介目标的关系,准确采取政策工具。     

The state as a creature of money

Recent social theories of money have challenged economic conceptions of it as first and foremost a medium of exchange. Writers such as Geoffrey Ingham and David Graeber have revived the chartalist position that money is essentially a creature of the state, whose primary function is to measure value or debt. In this paper, I argue that this is a wrong turning. I first clarify the conceptual underpinnings of Ingham’s treatment of money as an ‘institutional fact’, a concept drawn from Searle. I clarify the sense in which this argument establishes that the state ‘creates’ money – and show that this sense is quite limited. It is a theory of how something comes to be accepted as money, rather than a theory of why there is money in the first place, and it gives no account of money’s value. Finally, I sketch an alternative way of looking at the relationship between states and money. This recognises that modern states have been shaped in part by strategies with regard to monetary management, with state actors engaging strategically in a system they only partially constitute – so that states are ‘creatures of money’ as much as the reverse.     

从货币非中性探究中国货币政策的有效性

货币是非中性的，货币供给的变动最终不仅能影响名义价格与名义工资等名义变量，而且对实际产出等实际变量有影响。从货币非中性探究中国货币政策的有效性，建立中国货币政策有效性理论模型并进行实证分析表明，中国的货币政策促进了经济发展，但其有效性未完全发挥。     

转型经济的货币深化与货币挤出:中国和俄罗斯的不同

通货膨胀是转型经济所要面临的挑战,因此分析转型经济的货币问题十分必要。通过构建货币深化和货币挤出两种不同货币现象的分析框架,并对中国和俄罗斯的现实情况进行比较,可以发现,货币超发并非通货膨胀的充分条件,只要能够控制好货币的流向,引导货币向货币资本转化,就能够防范和治理通货膨胀,以交易方程式和鲍莫尔—托宾模型的实证检验也印证了上述观点。     

外汇资产、基础货币供应与货币内生性——基于央行资产负债表的分析

2002年以来,人民币处于升值压力中,国际收支双顺差使得我国外汇资产迅速扩大,外汇占款成为我国基础货币投放最主要的渠道。文章基于央行资产负债表,通过定量研究方法分析了汇改前后基础货币的主要来源及其与基础货币变动的动态关系,结果发现:汇改后净国外资产增量变化成为基础货币增量变化唯一格兰杰因,国内信贷和发行票据作为对冲外汇资产增加、防止基础货币过快增长的手段均已失效,基础货币供应具有内生性,央行已不能通过控制基础货币数量来调控货币供应量。     

The Stability of the Demand for Money in Monetary Unions: Some Empirical Evidence from WAEMU

Previous studies of the stability of the demand for money have been largely conducted in the context of individual countries. To the extent that these countries have control over their monetary policies, such an approach is well justified. However, for monetary unions, where the control over monetary policy is usually vested in a central or outside authority, it is more appropriate to examine the stability of the money demand for the union as a collective entity. This paper follows this approach with respect to a West African monetary union, the WAEMU, whose monetary policies are largely dictated by the French authorities. Using cointegration theory and CUSUM stability tests, we find evidence that the demand for broad money is stable in this union. Given the empirical results, the paper draws inferences regarding their implications for the formulation of optimal monetary policy for the WAEMU.     

货币政策透明度的结构与体系的非完整性

本文通过分析货币政策透明度基本结构的合理性,以及三类透明度所发挥的不同作用,提出透明度建设不仅仅是透明程度的提高,更要注重透明度体系的完善.并且,针对我国目前不存在目标透明度,也不能建立目标透明度的事实,建议注重知识透明度的建设及其作用的发挥,使市场主体可以深入学习和理解央行的经济模型和货币政策决策规则,从而发挥货币政策透明度应有的作用.     

Foreign Money Shocks and the Welfare Performance of Alternative Monetary Policy Regimes*

The welfare properties of monetary policy regimes for a country subject to foreign money shocks are examined in a two‐country sticky‐price model. Money targeting is found to be welfare superior to a fixed exchange rate when the expenditure switching effect of exchange rate changes is relatively weak, but a fixed rate is superior when the expenditure switching effect is strong. However, price targeting is superior to both these regimes for all values of the expenditure switching effect. A welfare‐maximising monetary rule yields lower output and exchange rate volatility than price targeting for a wide range of parameter values.     

不同汇率制度下的货币政策、财政政策与最优货币区

本文讨论了１９９９年度诺贝尔经济学奖获得者－芒德尔的主要理论贡献及其现实意义,芒德尔的开放经济中的稳定政策理论认为：稳定政策的效果取决于汇率制度。在浮动汇率制度下,货币政策是有力的而财政政策是无力的;在固定汇率制度下,财政政策是有力的而货币政策是无力的。最优货币区的判别理论为研究欧洲货币联盟（ＥＭＵ）优缺点的研究人员提供了起点。     

Money as an Institution of Capitalism: Some Notes on a Monetary Theory of Uncertainty

Dillard notes that to consider money as an institution of capitalism means to emphasize that money is an essential element in explaining fluctuations in income and employment. He states that Keynes's liquidity preference theory offers a sound explanation of money as an institution of capitalism. Keynes's explanation is based on a necessary condition, independent of money: the presence of uncertainty. The objective of the paper is to elaborate a different explanation of the role of money, based on Keynes's 1933 and 1937–39 works, according to which the presence of money constitutes the necessary condition to justify the importance of uncertainty.