Interest Rate Rules, Endogenous Cycles, and Chaotic Dynamics in Open Economies

In this paper we present an extensive analysis of the consequences for global equilibrium determinacy in flexible-price open economies of implementing active interest rate rules, i.e., monetary rules where the nominal interest rate responds more than proportionally to changes in inflation. We show that conditions under which these rules generate aggregate instability by inducing liquidity traps, endogenous cycles, and chaotic dynamics depend on particular characteristics of open economies, including the degree of trade openness and the degree of exchange rate pass-through into import prices. For instance, in our model, we find that a rule that responds to expected future inflation is more prone to induce endogenous cyclical and chaotic dynamics the more open the economy and the higher the degree of exchange rate pass-through.