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VAR analysis and the Great Moderation

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Author Info
Luca Benati () (European Central Bank, Kaiserstrasse 29, 60311 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.)
Paolo Surico () (Bank of England and University of Bari,Postal address-Monetary Policy Committee Unit, Bank of England, Threadneedle Street, London EC2R 8AH, UK.)

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Abstract

Most analyses of the U.S. Great Moderation have been based on structural VAR methods, and have consistently pointed towards good luck as the main explanation for the greater macroeconomic stability of recent years. Based on an estimated New-Keynesian model in which the only source of change is the move from passive to active monetary policy, we show that VARs may misinterpret good policy for good luck. First, the policy shift is sufficient to generate decreases in the theoretical innovation variances for all series, and decreases in the variances of inflation and the output gap, without any need of sunspot shocks. With sunspots, the estimated model exhibits decreases in both variances and innovation variances for all series. Second, policy counterfactuals based on the theoretical structural VAR representations of the model under the two regimes fail to capture the truth, whereas impulse-response functions to a monetary policy shock exhibit little change across regimes. Since these results are in line with those found in the structural VARbased literature on the Great Moderation, our analysis suggests that existing VAR evidence is compatible with the ‘good policy’ explanation of the Great Moderation. JEL Classification: E38, E52.

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Paper provided by European Central Bank in its series Working Paper Series with number 866.

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Length: 40 pages
Date of creation: Feb 2008
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Handle: RePEc:ecb:ecbwps:20080866

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Related research
Keywords: Great Moderation; DSGE models; indeterminacy; vector autoregressions.;

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This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports: References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
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  4. Leeper, Eric M., 1991. "Equilibria under 'active' and 'passive' monetary and fiscal policies," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 129-147, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Lucas, Robert Jr, 1976. "Econometric policy evaluation: A critique," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 19-46, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  7. Troy Davig & Eric M. Leeper, 2005. "Generalizing the Taylor Principle," NBER Working Papers 11874, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  8. Goffe, William L. & Ferrier, Gary D. & Rogers, John, 1994. "Global optimization of statistical functions with simulated annealing," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 60(1-2), pages 65-99. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  10. Richard Clarida & Jordi Galí & Mark Gertler, 2000. "Monetary Policy Rules And Macroeconomic Stability: Evidence And Some Theory," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, MIT Press, vol. 115(1), pages 147-180, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  11. Canova, Fabio & Gambetti, Luca & Pappa, Evi, 2006. "The Structural Dynamics of US Output and Inflation: What Explains the Changes?," CEPR Discussion Papers 5879, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  12. Lubik, Thomas A. & Schorfheide, Frank, 2003. "Computing sunspot equilibria in linear rational expectations models," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 28(2), pages 273-285, November. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  13. Luca Benati, 2008. "Investigating inflation persistence across monetary regimes," Working Paper Series 851, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
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(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. James M. Nason & Gregor W. Smith, 2007. "Great Moderation(s) and U.S. Interest Rates: Unconditional Evidence," Working Papers 1140, Queen's University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Antón Nákov & Andrea Pescatori, 2007. "Oil and the Great Moderation," Banco de España Working Papers 0735, Banco de España. [Downloadable!]
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  3. Castelnuovo , Efrem & Greco , Luciano & Raggi, Davide, 2008. "Estimating regime-switching Taylor rules with trend inflation," Research Discussion Papers 20/2008, Bank of Finland. [Downloadable!]
  4. Inoue, Atsushi & Rossi, Barbara, 2008. "Which Structural Parameters Are "Structural"? Identifying the Sources of Instabilities in Economic Models," Working Papers 08-02, Duke University, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
  5. Fabio Canova & Luca Gambetti, 2007. "Do expectations matter? The Great Moderation revisited," Economics Working Papers 1084, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, revised Jan 2009. [Downloadable!]
  6. Giorgio Canarella & WenShwo Fang & Stephen M. Miller & Stephen K. Pollard, 2008. "Is the Great Moderation Ending? UK and US Evidence," Working papers 2008-24, University of Connecticut, Department of Economics. [Downloadable!]
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  7. Edward Nelson, 2007. "An overhaul of doctrine: the underpinning of U.K. inflation targeting," Working Papers 2007-026, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. [Downloadable!]
  8. Buch, Claudia M. & Döpke, Jörg & Stahn, Kerstin, 2008. "Great moderation at the firm level? Unconditional versus conditional output volatility," Discussion Paper Series 1: Economic Studies 2008,13, Deutsche Bundesbank, Research Centre. [Downloadable!]
  9. Claudia M. Buch & Jörg Döpke & Kerstin Stahn, 2008. "Great Moderation at the Firm Level? Unconditional vs. Conditional Output Volatility," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
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  10. Kosuke Aoki & Takeshi Kimura, 2008. "Central Banks Two-Way Communication with the Public and Inflation Dynamics," CEP Discussion Papers dp0899, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE. [Downloadable!]
  11. Luca Benati & Haroon Mumtaz, 2007. "U.S. evolving macroeconomic dynamics - a structural investigation," Working Paper Series 746, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
  12. Alina Barnett & Roland Straub, 2008. "What drives U.S. current account fluctuations?," Working Paper Series 959, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
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