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Monetary Shocks in Models with Inattentive Producers

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  • Fernando E. Alvarez
  • Francesco Lippi
  • Luigi Paciello

Abstract

We study models where prices respond slowly to shocks because firms are rationally inattentive. Producers must pay a cost to observe the determinants of the current profit maximizing price, and hence observe them infrequently. To generate large real effects of monetary shocks in such a model the time between observations must be long and/or highly volatile. Previous work on rational inattentiveness has allowed for observation intervals that are either constant-but-long (e.g. Caballero, 1989 or Reis, 2006) or volatile-but-short (e.g. Reis's, 2006 example where observation costs are negligible), but not both. In these models, the real effects of monetary policy are small for realistic values of the duration between observations. We show that non-negligible observation costs produce both of these effects: intervals between observations are infrequent and volatile. This generates large real effects of monetary policy for realistic values of the average time between observations.

Suggested Citation

  • Fernando E. Alvarez & Francesco Lippi & Luigi Paciello, 2016. "Monetary Shocks in Models with Inattentive Producers," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 83(2), pages 421-459.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:restud:v:83:y:2016:i:2:p:421-459.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/restud/rdv050
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    Cited by:

    1. Carvalho, Carlos & Schwartzman, Felipe, 2015. "Selection and monetary non-neutrality in time-dependent pricing models," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 141-156.
    2. Georgii Riabov & Aleh Tsyvinski, 2021. "Policy with stochastic hysteresis," Papers 2104.10225, arXiv.org.
    3. Nakov, Anton & Petit, Borja & Costain, James, 2018. "Monetary policy implications of state-dependent prices and wages," CEPR Discussion Papers 13398, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. S. S. Vinokurov & A.A. Medved & L. A. Mierin, 2018. "Economic News and Household Decisions," Contemporary Economics, Vizja University, vol. 12(1), March.
    5. Fernando Alvarez & Andrea Ferrara & Erwan Gautier & Hervé Le Bihan & Francesco Lippi, 2025. "Empirical Investigation of a Sufficient Statistic for Monetary Shocks," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 92(4), pages 2165-2196.
    6. Isaac Baley & Andrés Blanco, 2021. "Aggregate Dynamics in Lumpy Economies," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 89(3), pages 1235-1264, May.
    7. Pasten, Ernesto & Schoenle, Raphael & Weber, Michael, 2020. "The propagation of monetary policy shocks in a heterogeneous production economy," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 1-22.
    8. Kariuki, Caroline & Tiriongo, Samuel, 2021. "Market expectations versus outcomes: Sectoral credit market analysis in Kenya," KBA Centre for Research on Financial Markets and Policy Working Paper Series 48, Kenya Bankers Association (KBA).
    9. Isaac Baley & Javier Turen, 2024. "Lumpy forecasts," Economics Working Papers 1898, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    10. Fernando Alvarez & Francesco Lippi & Aleksei Oskolkov, 2023. "The Macroeconomics of Sticky Prices with Generalized Hazard Functions," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 137(2), pages 989-1038.
    11. Jacopo Magnani & Aspen Gorry & Ryan Oprea, 2016. "Time and State Dependence in an Ss Decision Experiment," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 8(1), pages 285-310, January.
    12. Zhang, Yuhua & Mu, Congming, 2021. "Optimal ownership of entrepreneurial firms with rational inattention," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    13. Vinokurov, Stepan S. (Винокуров, Степан) & Medved, Anna A. (Медведь, Анна) & Mierin, Larisa A. (Миэринь, Лариса), 2018. "Influence of the Information Background on the Economic Behavior of Households [Влияние Информационного Фона На Экономическое Поведение Домохозяйств]," Ekonomicheskaya Politika / Economic Policy, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration, vol. 5, pages 66-79, October.
    14. Antonecchia, Gianluca, 2023. "Heterogeneous expectations, forecast accuracy and firms’ credit demand," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 154(C).
    15. Mark N. Harris & Hervé Le Bihan & Patrick Sevestre, 2020. "Identifying Price Reviews by Firms: An Econometric Approach," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 52(2-3), pages 293-322, March.
    16. Peng Zhou & Huw Dixon, 2019. "The Determinants of Price Rigidity in the UK: Analysis of the CPI and PPI Microdata and Application to Macrodata Modelling," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 87(5), pages 640-677, September.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit

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