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What caused Japan’s Great Stagnation in the 1990s? Evidence from an estimated DSGE model

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  • Kaihatsu, Sohei
  • Kurozumi, Takushi

Abstract

Despite the widespread belief that Japan’s “Great Stagnation” in the 1990s is due to the financial dysfunction after the collapse of asset price bubbles, Hayashi and Prescott (2002) argue that its main cause is a slowdown in total factor productivity growth, using a calibrated neoclassical growth model. The present paper aims to fill this gap by estimating a New Keynesian dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model augmented with a financial accelerator mechanism and associated financial shocks. Our estimation results show that even in the presence of the financial shocks an adverse neutral technology shock mainly induced the Great Stagnation and that the rate of neutral technological change is strongly correlated with all enterprises’ financial position in the Tankan. Based on these findings, the paper argues that the Great Stagnation was caused by an adverse neutral technology shock that is likely to represent a tightening of firms’ financing, which induced reduction of R&D investment and misallocation of resources as indicated in previous literature.

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  • Kaihatsu, Sohei & Kurozumi, Takushi, 2014. "What caused Japan’s Great Stagnation in the 1990s? Evidence from an estimated DSGE model," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 217-235.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jjieco:v:34:y:2014:i:c:p:217-235
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jjie.2014.08.002
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    3. Ichiro Muto & Nao Sudo & Shunichi Yoneyama, "undated". "Productivity Slowdown in Japan's Lost Decades: How Much of It Can Be Attributed to Damaged Balance Sheets?," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 16-E-3, Bank of Japan.
    4. Keiichiro Kobayashi & Daichi Shirai, 2017. "Debt-Ridden Borrowers and Economic Slowdown," CIGS Working Paper Series 17-002E, The Canon Institute for Global Studies.
    5. Hirose, Yasuo, 2020. "An Estimated Dsge Model With A Deflation Steady State," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(5), pages 1151-1185, July.
    6. Keiichiro Kobayashi & Daichi Shirai, 2012. "Debt-Ridden Borrowers and Productivity Slowdown," CIGS Working Paper Series 14-005E, The Canon Institute for Global Studies.
    7. Yosuke Okazaki & Nao Sudo, 2018. "Natural Rate of Interest in Japan -- Measuring its size and identifying drivers based on a DSGE model --," Bank of Japan Working Paper Series 18-E-6, Bank of Japan.
    8. Iiboshi, Hirokuni & Matsumae, Tatsuyoshi & Namba, Ryoichi & Nishiyama, Shin-Ichi, 2015. "Estimating a DSGE model for Japan in a data-rich environment," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 36(C), pages 25-55.
    9. Naohisa Hirakata & Takushi Kurozumi, 2013. "The International Finance Multiplier in Business Cycle Fluctuations," IMES Discussion Paper Series 13-E-12, Institute for Monetary and Economic Studies, Bank of Japan.
    10. Ahmet DEMIR & AtabekSHADMANOV & CumhurAYDINLI & Okan ERAY, 2015. "DESIGNING A FORECAST MODEL FOR ECONOMIC GROWTH OF JAPAN USING COMPETITIVE (HYBRID ANN VS MULTIPLE REGRESSION) MODELS Abstract : Artificial neural network models have been already used on many differen," EcoForum, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Romania, Faculty of Economics and Public Administration - Economy, Business Administration and Tourism Department., vol. 4(2), pages 1-21, july.
    11. Hasumi, Ryo & Iiboshi, Hirokuni & Matsumae, Tatsuyoshi & Nakamura, Daisuke, 2019. "Does a financial accelerator improve forecasts during financial crises? Evidence from Japan with prediction-pooling methods," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 45-68.
    12. Hasumi, Ryo & Iiboshi, Hirokuni & Matsumae, Tatsuyoshi & Nakamura, Daisuke, 2018. "Does a financial accelerator improve forecasts during financial crises?: Evidence from Japan with Prediction Pool Methods," MPRA Paper 85523, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Ziesemer, Thomas, 2019. "Japan's productivity and GDP growth: The role of GBAORD, public and foreign R&D," MERIT Working Papers 2019-029, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    14. Rui Wang, 2019. "Unconventional Monetary Policy in Japan: Empirical Evidence from Estimated Shadow Rate DSGE Model," Journal of International Commerce, Economics and Policy (JICEP), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 10(02), pages 1-29, June.
    15. Ichiro Muto & Nao Sudo & Shunichi Yoneyama, 2023. "Productivity Slowdown in Japan's Lost Decades: How Much of It Can Be Attributed to Damaged Balance Sheets?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 85(1), pages 159-207, February.
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    18. THW Ziesemer, 2020. "Japan’s Productivity and GDP Growth: The Role of Private, Public and Foreign R&D 1967–2017," Economies, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-25, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Japan’s Great Stagnation in the 1990s; Slowdown in TFP growth; Adverse neutral technology shock; Tightening of firms’ financing; Estimated DSGE model;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy

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