IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/h/nbr/nberch/15421.html

Macroeconomic and Fiscal Consequences of Quantitative Easing

In: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2026, volume 41

Author

Listed:
  • Tobias Adrian
  • Christopher Erceg
  • Marcin Kolasa
  • Jesper Lindé
  • Pawel Zabczyk

Abstract

Quantitative easing (QE) has been criticized for helping fuel the post-COVID inflation boom and causing large central bank losses. In this paper, we argue that QE should be evaluated mainly on its ability to achieve core macro-objectives as well for its effects on the consolidated fiscal position of the government and central bank, although central bank losses can matter to the extent that they may weaken central bank credibility. Using a DSGE model with segmented asset markets, we show how QE can provide a sizeable boost to output and inflation in a deep liquidity trap and can reduce public debt substantially. This contrasts to the rise in public debt that occurs under fiscal expansion and makes QE an attractive tool in a high debt environment. There is more reason for caution in using QE in a "shallow" liquidity trap in which the notional interest rate is only slightly negative: QE runs more risk of causing the economy to overheat, especially if forward guidance has a strong element of commitment, and is more likely to generate sizeable central bank losses. Some refinements in strategy, including the use of escape clauses, can help mitigate overheating risks.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Tobias Adrian & Christopher Erceg & Marcin Kolasa & Jesper Lindé & Pawel Zabczyk, 2026. "Macroeconomic and Fiscal Consequences of Quantitative Easing," NBER Chapters, in: NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2026, volume 41, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:15421
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c15421.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Other versions of this item:

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Mr. Tobias Adrian & Mr. Ashraf Khan & Lev Menand, 2024. "A New Measure of Central Bank Independence," IMF Working Papers 2024/035, International Monetary Fund.
    2. Fair, Ray C & Taylor, John B, 1983. "Solution and Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Dynamic Nonlinear Rational Expectations Models," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 51(4), pages 1169-1185, July.
    3. Valerie A. Ramey & Sarah Zubairy, 2018. "Government Spending Multipliers in Good Times and in Bad: Evidence from US Historical Data," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 126(2), pages 850-901.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Martin Harding & Mathias Klein, 2022. "Monetary policy and household net worth," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 44, pages 125-151, April.
    2. Fernando Broner & Daragh Clancy & Aitor Erce & Alberto Martin, 2022. "Fiscal Multipliers and Foreign Holdings of Public Debt," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 89(3), pages 1155-1204.
    3. Viet Hoang Dinh & Didier Nibbering & Benjamin Wong, 2023. "Random Subspace Local Projections," CAMA Working Papers 2023-34, Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
    4. Pierre Richard Agénor & Devrim Yilmaz, 2006. "The Tyranny of Rules: Fiscal Discipline, Productive Spending, and Growth," Economics Discussion Paper Series 0616, Economics, The University of Manchester.
    5. Sen, Aariya & Sensarma, Rudra, 2025. "Winners and Losers: The Effects of Monetary Policy on Income and Consumption Inequality," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    6. Hyeongwoo Kim & Ren Zhang & Shuwei Zhang, 2026. "Government Employment Shocks, Policy Coordination, and Debt Structure," Working Papers 2026-07, Towson University, Department of Economics, revised Apr 2026.
    7. Paul D. McNelis, 2014. "Finding Stability in a Time of Crisis: Lessons of East Asia for Eastern Europe," Working Papers 052014, Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research.
    8. Karadi, Peter & Nakov, Anton, 2021. "Effectiveness and addictiveness of quantitative easing," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 1096-1117.
    9. Hadzi-Vaskov Metodij & Pienknagura Samuel & Ricci Luca Antonio, 2023. "The Macroeconomic Impact of Social Unrest," The B.E. Journal of Macroeconomics, De Gruyter, vol. 23(2), pages 917-958, June.
    10. Hyeongwoo Kim, 2018. "Fiscal Policy, Wages, and Jobs in the U.S," Auburn Economics Working Paper Series auwp2018-02, Department of Economics, Auburn University.
    11. Rüth, Sebastian K., 2018. "Fiscal stimulus and systematic monetary policy: Postwar evidence for the United States," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 173(C), pages 92-96.
    12. Edward P. Herbst & Benjamin K. Johannsen, 2020. "Bias in Local Projections," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2020-010r1, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.), revised 04 Jan 2021.
    13. Ahmed, M. Iqbal & Cassou, Steven P., 2021. "Asymmetries in the effects of unemployment expectation shocks as monetary policy shifts with economic conditions," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).
    14. James Sampi & Guillermo Javier Vuletin & J.T. Araujo, 2024. "Firm Size and Public Investment Multipliers : Micro Evidence from Peru," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10997, The World Bank.
    15. Benjamin Born & Francesco D’Ascanio & Gernot J. Müller & Johannes Pfeifer, 2024. "Mr. Keynes Meets the Classics: Government Spending and the Real Exchange Rate," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 132(5), pages 1642-1683.
    16. Aizenman, Joshua & Ito, Hiro & Pasricha, Gurnain Kaur, 2022. "Central bank swap arrangements in the COVID-19 crisis," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    17. Coenen, Gunter & Wieland, Volker, 2003. "The zero-interest-rate bound and the role of the exchange rate for monetary policy in Japan," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(5), pages 1071-1101, July.
    18. Burton, Diana M. & Love, H. Alan, 1996. "A Review of Alternative Expectations Regimes in Commodity Markets: Specification, Estimation, and Hypothesis Testing Using Structural Models," Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 25(2), pages 213-231, October.
    19. Sergeyev, Dmitriy & Iovino, Luigi, 2018. "Central Bank Balance Sheet Policies Without Rational Expectations," CEPR Discussion Papers 13100, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    20. S. Sirakaya & Stephen Turnovsky & M. Alemdar, 2006. "Feedback Approximation of the Stochastic Growth Model by Genetic Neural Networks," Computational Economics, Springer;Society for Computational Economics, vol. 27(2), pages 185-206, May.

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • C54 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Quantitative Policy Modeling
    • E1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models
    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles
    • E5 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:15421. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/nberrus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.