What are the properties of optimal fiscal and monetary policies with heterogeneous agents? This is a pressing question, given the wealth of evidence on heterogeneity in cash holdings and labor income. Yet, until recently it remained largely unexplored. In this paper, I show that with heterogeneity the Friedman rule is optimal only if positive nominal interest rates do not ameliorate constraints on redistribution. With an empirically plausible cross-sectional correlation between money holdings and labor income, the Friedman rule is optimal if the government favors redistribution to the poor. I discuss these findings and propose several directions for future research.
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Volume (Year): 97 (2007) Issue (Month): 4 (July-August) Pages: 3-48 Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML
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Handle: RePEc:rpo:ripoec:v:97:y:2007:i:4:p:3-48
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Find related papers by JEL classification: E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization H21 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Efficiency; Optimal Taxation
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Joydeep Bhattacharya & Joseph H. Haslag & Antoine Martin, 2005.
"Heterogeneity, Redistribution, And The Friedman Rule,"
International Economic Review,
Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 46(2), pages 437-454, 05.
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Isabel Correia & Pedro Teles, 1999.
"The Optimal Inflation Tax,"
Review of Economic Dynamics,
Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 2(2), pages 325-346, April.
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