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Controlling the Price Level

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  • Robert E. Hall

Abstract

. Governments determine the size of the unit of value just as they determine the length and weight of physical units of measure. What are the different ways that a government can control the size of the unit of value, that is, control the price level? In general, the government designates a resource—gold, paper currency, another country's currency—and defines its unit of value as a particular amount of that resource. An interesting variant, proposed by Irving Fisher in 1913 and implemented more recently in Chile, is to alter the resource content of the unit to stabilize the price level. Another idea is to alter the interest rate paid on reserves in a way that stabilizes the price level. This essay originally appeared as “Controlling the Price Level,”Contributions to Macroeconomics 2(1), Article 5. See http://www.bepress.com/bejm/contributions/vol2/iss1/art5. Reprinted with kind permission of the Berkeley Electronic Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Robert E. Hall, 2005. "Controlling the Price Level," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 64(1), pages 93-112, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ajecsc:v:64:y:2005:i:1:p:93-112
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1536-7150.2005.00352.x
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    1. Ghost Money: Chile's Unidad de Fomento
      by JP Koning in Moneyness on 2013-09-23 19:57:00

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    1. Mark G. Guzman, 2008. "The Impact Of Paying Interest On Reserves In The Presence Of Government Deficit Financing," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 46(4), pages 624-642, October.
    2. Buiter, Willem H., 2009. "Negative nominal interest rates: Three ways to overcome the zero lower bound," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 213-238, December.
    3. Rebeca Gomez Betancourt & Jérôme de Boyer des Roches, 2013. "Origins and developments of Irving Fisher's compensated dollar plan," The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 20(2), pages 261-283, April.
    4. Bratsiotis, George, 2018. "Credit Risk, Excess Reserves and Monetary Policy: The Deposits Channel," EconStor Preprints 172770, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, revised 2018.
    5. repec:rdg:wpaper:em-dp2006-39 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Richard C.K. Burdekin & Kris James Mitchener & Marc D. Weidenmier, 2012. "Irving Fisher and Price‐Level Targeting in Austria: Was Silver the Answer?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 44(4), pages 733-750, June.
    7. Larry E. Jones & Rodolfo E. Manuelli & Ennio Stacchetti, 1999. "Technology (and Policy) Shocks in Models of Endogenous Growth," NBER Working Papers 7063, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Robert E. Hall & Ricardo Reis, 2016. "Achieving Price Stability by Manipulating the Central Bank’s Payment on Reserves," NBER Working Papers 22761, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Chadha, Jagjit S. & Corrado, Luisa, 2012. "Macro-prudential policy on liquidity: What does a DSGE model tell us?," Journal of Economics and Business, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 37-62.
    10. Marvin Goodfriend, 2000. "Overcoming the zero bound on interest rate policy," Conference Series ; [Proceedings], Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, pages 1007-1057.
    11. Jan Marc Berk, 2002. "Central banking and financial innovation. A survey of the modern literature," BNL Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 55(222), pages 263-297.
    12. Willem H. Buiter, 2004. "The Elusive Welfare Economics of Price Stability as a Monetary Policy Objective: Should New Keynesian Central Bankers Pursue Price Stability?," NBER Working Papers 10848, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    13. George J. Bratsiotis, 2016. "Liquidity Regulation, Monetary Policy and Welfare," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 228, Economics, The Univeristy of Manchester.
    14. Buiter, Willem H., 2006. "The elusive welfare economics of price stability as a monetary policy objective: why New Keynesian central bankers should validate core inflation," Working Paper Series 609, European Central Bank.
    15. Dr. Daniel Emmanuel & Associate Prof. Jonah Arumona & GOFWAN Hassan, 2024. "Equity and Reserve Investment Funds on Capital Market Growth in Nigieria," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(1), pages 206-222, January.
    16. Michael Woodford, 2001. "Monetary policy in the information economy," Proceedings - Economic Policy Symposium - Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 297-370.
    17. repec:dau:papers:123456789/10190 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Cochrane, John H., 2014. "Monetary policy with interest on reserves," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 74-108.
    19. Jan Marc Berk, 2002. "Banca centrale e innovazione finanziaria. Una rassegna della letteratura recente," Moneta e Credito, Economia civile, vol. 55(220), pages 345-385.
    20. Michael Woodford, 2002. "Financial market efficiency and the effectiveness of monetary policy," Economic Policy Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, vol. 8(May), pages 85-94.
    21. George J. Bratsiotis, 2018. "Credit Risk, Excess Reserves and Monetary Policy: The Deposits," Centre for Growth and Business Cycle Research Discussion Paper Series 236, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    22. George J. Bratsiotis, 2021. "Interest on Reserves as a Main Monetary Policy Tool," Economics Discussion Paper Series 2102, Economics, The University of Manchester, revised Feb 2022.
    23. Jan Marc Berk, 2002. "Central banking and financial innovation. A survey of the modern literature," Banca Nazionale del Lavoro Quarterly Review, Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, vol. 55(222), pages 263-297.

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    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System

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