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How Does Monetary Policy Affect Income and Wealth Inequality? Evidence from Quantitative Easing in the Euro Area

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  • Lenza, Michele
  • Slacalek, Jirka

Abstract

This paper evaluates the impact of quantitative easing on income and wealth of individual euro area households. We first estimate the aggregate effects of a QE shock, identified by means of external instruments, in a multi-country VAR model with unemployment, wages, interest rates, house prices and stock prices. We then distribute the aggregate effects across households using a reduced-form simulation on micro data, which captures the portfolio composition, the income composition and the earnings heterogeneity channels of transmission. The earnings heterogeneity channel is important: QE compresses the income distribution since many households with lower incomes become employed. In contrast, monetary policy has only negligible effects on the Gini coefficient for wealth: while high-wealth households benefit from higher stock prices, middle-wealth households benefit from higher house prices.

Suggested Citation

  • Lenza, Michele & Slacalek, Jirka, 2021. "How Does Monetary Policy Affect Income and Wealth Inequality? Evidence from Quantitative Easing in the Euro Area," CEPR Discussion Papers 16079, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:16079
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Monetary policy; Household heterogeneity; Inequality; Income; Wealth; Quantitative easing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D14 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Saving; Personal Finance
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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