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Taylor rules and the Great Inflation

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  • Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex
  • Papell, David H.

Abstract

Can US monetary policy in the 1970s be described by a stabilizing Taylor rule when policy is evaluated with real-time inflation and output gap data? Using economic research on the full employment level of unemployment and the natural rate of unemployment published between 1970 and 1977 to construct real-time output gap measures for periods of peak unemployment, we find that the Federal Reserve did not follow a Taylor rule if appropriate measures are used. We estimate Taylor rules and find no evidence that monetary policy stabilized inflation, even allowing for changes in the inflation target. While monetary policy was stabilizing with respect to inflation forecasts, the forecasts systematically under-predicted inflation following the 1970s recessions and this does not constitute evidence of stabilizing policy. We also find that the Federal Reserve responded too strongly to negative output gaps.

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  • Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H., 2012. "Taylor rules and the Great Inflation," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 34(4), pages 903-918.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jmacro:v:34:y:2012:i:4:p:903-918
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmacro.2012.05.007
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    Cited by:

    1. Singh, Ajay Pratap & Nikolaou, Michael, 2014. "Optimal rules for central bank interest rates subject to zero lower bound," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 8, pages 1-67.
    2. Pao‐Lin Tien & Tara M. Sinclair & Edward N. Gamber, 2021. "Do Fed Forecast Errors Matter?," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 83(3), pages 686-712, June.
    3. Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H. & Prodan, Ruxandra, 2019. "The Taylor principles," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    4. Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy & David H. Papell, 2013. "Taylor's Rule Versus Taylor Rules," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 16(1), pages 71-93, February.
    5. Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy & David Papell & Ruxandra Prodan, 2013. "(Taylor) Rules versus Discretion in U.S. Monetary Policy," Working Papers 2013-198-44, Department of Economics, University of Houston.
    6. Benjamin D. Keen & Evan F. Koenig, 2018. "How Robust Are Popular Models of Nominal Frictions?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(6), pages 1299-1342, September.
    7. Rudan Wang & Bruce Morley & Javier Ordóñez, 2016. "The Taylor Rule, Wealth Effects and the Exchange Rate," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 282-301, May.
    8. López-Villavicencio, Antonia, 2013. "Interest rates, government purchases and the Taylor rule in recessions and expansions," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 38(PB), pages 382-392.
    9. Murray, Christian J. & Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H., 2015. "Markov Switching And The Taylor Principle," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 913-930, June.
    10. Michael T. Belongia & Peter N. Ireland, 2018. "Monetary Policy Lessons from the Greenbook," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 955, Boston College Department of Economics.
    11. Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy & David Papell, 2013. "Real-Time Historical Analysis of Monetary Policy Rules," Working Papers 2013-140-17, Department of Economics, University of Houston.
    12. Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H. & Prodan, Ruxandra, 2021. "Policy Rules and Economic Performance," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    13. Jui-Chung Yang & Ke-Li Xu, 2013. "Estimation and Inference under Weak Identi cation and Persistence: An Application on Forecast-Based Monetary Policy Reaction Function," 2013 Papers pya307, Job Market Papers.
    14. Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H. & Prodan, Ruxandra, 2014. "Deviations from rules-based policy and their effects," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 4-17.
    15. David H. Papell & Alex Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy & Ruxandra Prodan, 2016. "Policy Rule Legislation in Practice," Book Chapters, Hoover Institution, Stanford University.
    16. Murray, Christian J. & Nikolsko-Rzhevskyy, Alex & Papell, David H., 2015. "Markov Switching And The Taylor Principle," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 19(4), pages 913-930, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Taylor rule; Great Inflation; Natural rate of unemployment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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