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The Desirable Smooth Operator, Incomplete Pass Through And The "Zero Bound"

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  • Timothy Kam

Abstract

The typical New-Keynesian small-open-economy model has qualitative features and monetary-policy prescriptions similar to their original closed-economy counterparts ?i.e. complete stabilization of domestic inflation is sufficient for optimal policy. We consider a version of the model here where that isomorphism no longer holds and where the zero-interest-rate lower bound matters. Under the commitment benchmark, the optimal interest-rate rule is intrinsically inertial. Under time-consistent policy, it is still optimal to delegate policy to an interest-rate smoothing central banker despite the fact that complete stabilization of domestic inflation is no longer possible. We thus extend the analysis of Woodford (1999) to a nontrivial small open economy setting. Our result is robust to alternative degrees of pass through, the types of shocks impinging the natural rate, and minor departures from optimal pricing behavior.

Suggested Citation

  • Timothy Kam, 2006. "The Desirable Smooth Operator, Incomplete Pass Through And The "Zero Bound"," CAMA Working Papers 2006-03, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
  • Handle: RePEc:een:camaaa:2006-03
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    File URL: https://cama.crawford.anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/publication/cama_crawford_anu_edu_au/2021-06/3_kam_2006.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    4. Marco A. Espinosa-Vega & Alessandro Rebucci, 2004. "Retail Bank Interest Rate Pass-through: Is Chile Atypical?," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Luis Antonio Ahumada & J. Rodrigo Fuentes & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Se (ed.),Banking Market Structure and Monetary Policy, edition 1, volume 7, chapter 5, pages 147-182, Central Bank of Chile.
    5. Tommaso Monacelli, 2003. "Monetary Policy in a Low Pass-Through Environment," Working Papers 228, IGIER (Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research), Bocconi University.
    6. Michael Woodford, 1999. "Optimal Monetary Policy Inertia," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 67(s1), pages 1-35.
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    Cited by:

    1. Weber Ernst Juerg, 2010. "The Role of the Real Interest Rate in U.S. Macroeconomic History," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 10(1), pages 1-26, April.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics

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