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Recent U.S. macroeconomic stability: good policies, good practices or good luck?

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Author Info
Shaghil Ahmed
Andrew Levin
Beth Anne Wilson

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Abstract

The volatility of U.S. real GDP growth since 1984 has been markedly lower than that over the previous quarter-century. In this paper, we utilize frequency-domain and VAR methods to distinguish among several competing explanations for this phenomenon: improvements in monetary policy, better business practices, and a fortuitous reduction in exogenous disturbances. We find that reduced innovation variances account for much of the decline in aggregate output volatility. Our results support the "good-luck" hypothesis as the leading explanation for the decline in aggregate output volatility, although "good-practices" and "good-policy" are also contributing factors. Applying the same methods to consumer price inflation, we find that the post-1984 decline in inflation volatility can be attributed largely to improvements in monetary policy.

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Paper provided by Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.) in its series International Finance Discussion Papers with number 730.

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Date of creation: 2002
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Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgif:730

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Related research
Keywords: Inflation (Finance) ; Monetary policy;

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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.:
  1. John Ryding, 1990. "Housing finance and the transmission of monetary policy," Quarterly Review, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue Sum, pages 42-55.
  2. Sims, Christopher A, 1980. "Macroeconomics and Reality," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 48(1), pages 1-48, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Lawrence J. Christiano & Martin Eichenbaum & Charles L. Evans, 1998. "Monetary Policy Shocks: What Have We Learned and to What End?," NBER Working Papers 6400, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  4. 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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  5. Margaret M. McConnell & Patricia C. Mosser & Gabriel Perez Quiros, 1999. "A decomposition of the increased stability of GDP growth," Current Issues in Economics and Finance, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, issue Aug. [Downloadable!]
  6. Marianne Baxter & Robert G. King, 1995. "Measuring Business Cycles Approximate Band-Pass Filters for Economic Time Series," NBER Working Papers 5022, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  1. Antonio Moreno, 2004. "Reaching Inflation Stability," Econometric Society 2004 North American Summer Meetings 269, Econometric Society. [Downloadable!]
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  2. Tatiana Cesaroni & Louis Maccini & Marco Malgarini, 2009. "Business cycle volatility and inventories behavior:new evidence for the Euro Area," ISAE Working Papers 108, ISAE - Institute for Studies and Economic Analyses - (Rome, ITALY). [Downloadable!]
  3. Stephen G Cecchetti & Alfonso Flores-Lagunes & Stefan Krause, 2005. "Assessing the Sources of Changes in the Volatility of Real Growth," RBA Annual Conference Volume, in: Christopher Kent & David Norman (ed.), The Changing Nature of the Business Cycle Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
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  4. Ulrich Fritsche & Vladimir Kuzin, 2004. "Declining Output Volatility in Germany: Impulses, Propagation, and the Role of Monetary Policy," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 433, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Sylvain Leduc & Keith Sill, 2003. "Monetary policy, oil shocks, and TFP: accounting for the decline in U.S. volatility," Working Papers 03-22, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  6. Ulrich Fritsche & Vladimir Kuzin, 2005. "Declining Output Volatility in Germany: Impulses, Propagation, and the Role of the Monetary Policy," Money Macro and Finance (MMF) Research Group Conference 2005 70, Money Macro and Finance Research Group. [Downloadable!]
  7. F. Owen Irvine & Scott Schuh, 2005. "The roles of comovement and inventory investment in the reduction of output volatility," Working Papers 05-9, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. [Downloadable!]
  8. Christopher Kent & David Norman, 2005. "Introduction to The Changing Nature of the Business Cycle," RBA Annual Conference Volume, in: Christopher Kent & David Norman (ed.), The Changing Nature of the Business Cycle Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  9. Christian Gillitzer & Jonathan Kearns, 2005. "Long-term Patterns in Australia's Terms of Trade," RBA Research Discussion Papers rdp2005-01, Reserve Bank of Australia. [Downloadable!]
  10. Antonello D’Agostino & Domenico Giannone & Paolo Surico, 2006. "(Un)Predictability and macroeconomic stability," Working Paper Series 605, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
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  11. Fuentes-Albero, Cristina, 2007. "Technology Shocks, Statistical Models, and The Great Moderation," MPRA Paper 3589, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  12. D.J. van Dijk & D.R. Osborn & M. Sensier, 2002. "Changes in variability of the business cycle in the G7 countries," Econometric Institute Report 282, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Econometric Institute. [Downloadable!]
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  13. Chang-Jin Kim & Charles Nelson & Jeremy Piger, 2001. "The less volatile U.S. economy: a Bayesian investigation of timing, breadth, and potential explanations," International Finance Discussion Papers 707, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.). [Downloadable!]
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  14. Claudia M. Buch & Joerg Doepke & Christian Pierdzioch, 2002. "Business Cycle Volatility in Germany," Kiel Working Papers 1129, Kiel Institute for the World Economy. [Downloadable!]
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  15. Marie Brière & Ombretta Signori & Kokou Topeglo, 2006. "Bond Market “Conundrum”: New Factors Explaining Long-term Interest Rates?," Working Papers CEB 06-024.RS, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, Centre Emile Bernheim (CEB). [Downloadable!]
  16. Michael D. Bordo & Thomas Helbling, 2003. "Have National Business Cycles Become More Synchronized?," NBER Working Papers 10130, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  17. Avouyi-Dovi, S. & Matheron, J., 2005. "Technology Shocks and Monetary Policy in an Estimated Sticky Price Model of the US Economy," Documents de Travail 123, Banque de France. [Downloadable!]
  18. Sandrine Corvoisier & Benoît Mojon, 2005. "Breaks in the mean of inflation - how they happen and what to do with them," Working Paper Series 451, European Central Bank. [Downloadable!]
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