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Optimal inflation to reduce inequality

Author

Listed:
  • Lorenzo Menna

    (Banco de Mexico)

  • Patrizio Tirelli

    (University of Milano-Bicocca)

Abstract

A popular argument in favour of price stability is that the inflation-tax burden would disproportionately fall on the poor because wealth is unevenly distributed and portfolio composition of poorer households is skewed towards a larger share of money holdings. We reconsider the issue in a DSGE model characterized by limited participation to the market for interest bearing assets (LAMP). We show that a combination of higher inflation and lower income taxes reduces inequality. When we calibrate the share of constrained agents to fit the wealth Gini index for the US, the optimal inflation rate is above 4%. This result is robust to alternative foundations of money demand equations. (Copyright: Elsevier)

Suggested Citation

  • Lorenzo Menna & Patrizio Tirelli, 2017. "Optimal inflation to reduce inequality," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 24, pages 79-94, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:red:issued:15-127
    DOI: 10.1016/j.red.2017.01.004
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    3. François Courtoy, 2022. "When Household Heterogeneity Matters Optimal Fiscal Policy in a Medium-Scale TANK Model," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2022009, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    4. Zheng, Zhijie, 2020. "Inflation and income inequality in a Schumpeterian economy with menu costs," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    5. Cardani, Roberta & Menna, Lorenzo & Tirelli, Patrizio, 2020. "The Optimal Policy Mix To Achieve Public Debt Consolidation," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 24(1), pages 113-129, January.
    6. Sergey Dianov & Lyudmila Koroleva & Natalia Pokrovskaia & Natalia Victorova & Andrey Zaytsev, 2022. "The Influence of Taxation on Income Inequality: Analysis of the Practice in the EU Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-19, July.
    7. Turdaliev, Nurlan, 2019. "Monetary policy, heterogeneous population and inflation," Research in Economics, Elsevier, vol. 73(4), pages 277-292.
    8. Mehdi El Herradi & Jakob Haan & Aurélien Leroy, 2023. "Inflation and the Income Share of the Rich: Evidence for 14 OECD Countries," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(1), pages 170-194, March.
    9. Louis Rouanet & Peter Hazlett, 2023. "The redistributive politics of monetary policy," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 194(1), pages 1-26, January.
    10. Patrizio Tirelli & Maria Ferrara, 2020. "Disinflation, Inequality, And Welfare In A Tank Model," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 58(3), pages 1297-1313, July.
    11. Nurlan Turdaliev, 2019. "Heterogeneity and monetary policy," Journal of Economics, Springer, vol. 128(2), pages 119-145, October.
    12. Mohammed Ait Lahcen & Pedro Gomis‐Porqueras, 2021. "A Model of Endogenous Financial Inclusion: Implications for Inequality and Monetary Policy," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(5), pages 1175-1209, August.
    13. Osama D. Sweidan, 2023. "The Effect of Geopolitical Risk on Income Inequality: Evidence from a Panel Analysis," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 167(1), pages 47-66, June.
    14. Mehdi el Herradi & Jakob de Haan & Aurélien Leroy, 2020. "Inflation and the Income Share of the Rich: Evidence for 12 OECD Countries," CESifo Working Paper Series 8203, CESifo.
    15. Mehmet Balcilar & Shinhye Chang & Rangan Gupta & Stephen M. Miller, 2018. "The relationship between the inflation rate and inequality across U.S. states: a semiparametric approach," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 2413-2425, September.
    16. Kim, Dong-Hyeon & Lin, Shu-Chin, 2023. "Income inequality, inflation and financial development," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 468-487.
    17. Rösl, Gerhard, 2024. "A present value concept for measuring welfare," IMFS Working Paper Series 203, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    18. Law, Siong Hook & Naseem, N.A.M. & Lau, Wei Theng & Trinugroho, Irwan, 2020. "Can innovation improve income inequality? Evidence from panel data," Economic Systems, Elsevier, vol. 44(4).
    19. Andrea Colciago & Anna Samarina & Jakob de Haan, 2019. "Central Bank Policies And Income And Wealth Inequality: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 1199-1231, September.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Inflation; Monetary and fiscal policy; Ramsey plan; Inequality;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • J51 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity

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