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Testing Long Run Neutrality

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Author Info
Robert King
Mark W. Watson

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Abstract

Propositions about long run neutrality are at the heart of most macroeconomic models. Yet, since the 1970's when Lucas and Sargent presented powerful critiques of traditional neutrality tests, empirical researchers have made little progress on testing these propositions. In this paper we show that. in spite of the Lucas-Sargent critique. long run neutrality can be tested without specifying a complete model of economic activity. This is possible when the variables are integrated. In this case, permanent shifts in the historical data can be uncovered using VAR methods, and neutrality can be tested when there is a priori knowledge of one of the structural impact multipliers or one of the structural long run multipliers. In most circumstances such a priori knowledge is available. We use this framework to test four long run neutrality propositions: (i) the neutrality of money, (ii) the superneutrality of money. (iii) a vertical long run Phillips curve, and (iv) the Fisher effect. In each application, our a priori knowledge consists of a range of plausible values for the relevant impact and long run multipliers. We find that the U.S. postwar data are consistent with the neutrality of money and a vertical long run Phillips curve. but find evidence against the superneutrality of money and the long run Fisher relation. The sign of the estimated effect of money growth on output depends on the particular identifying assumption used. For a wide range of plausible identifying restrictions, nominal interest rates are found to move less than one-for-one with inflation in the long run.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 4156.

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Date of creation: Sep 1992
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:4156

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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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  9. James H. Stock & Mark W. Watson, 1987. "Interpreting Evidence on Money-Income Causality," NBER Working Papers 2228, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  19. Fisher, Mark E & Seater, John J, 1993. "Long-Run Neutrality and Superneutrality in an ARIMA Framework," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(3), pages 402-15, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  22. Pagan, Adrian, 1984. "Econometric Issues in the Analysis of Regressions with Generated Regressors," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 25(1), pages 221-47, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  30. Bernanke, Ben S., 1986. "Alternative explanations of the money-income correlation," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 25(1), pages 49-99, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  31. Robert J. Gordon, 1970. "The Recent Acceleration of Inflation and Its Lessons for the Future," Brookings Papers on Economic Activity, Economic Studies Program, The Brookings Institution, vol. 1(1970-1), pages 8-47. [Downloadable!]
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  33. Aschauer, David & Greenwood, Jeremy, 1983. "A Further Exploration in the Theory of Exchange Rate Regimes," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 91(5), pages 868-75, October. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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