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Measuring the welfare costs of inflation in a life-cycle model

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  • Gomme, Paul

Abstract

In a neoclassical growth model with life-cycle households in which money is held to satisfy a cash-in-advance constraint, the optimal steady state inflation rate is absurdly high: in excess of 20%. Lump-sum, age-independent money injections twist and flatten the lifetime profile of utility, making this profile look more like the one that would be chosen by a planner. The cost of monetary finance of lump-sum payments is the distortion introduced to the labor-leisure choice.

Suggested Citation

  • Gomme, Paul, 2015. "Measuring the welfare costs of inflation in a life-cycle model," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 132-144.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:dyncon:v:57:y:2015:i:c:p:132-144
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jedc.2015.06.002
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    Cited by:

    1. Nurlan Turdaliev, 2019. "Heterogeneity and monetary policy," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 119-145, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monetary policy; Inflation; Welfare costs; Life-cycle model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • D58 - Microeconomics - - General Equilibrium and Disequilibrium - - - Computable and Other Applied General Equilibrium Models
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making

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