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A "Working" Solution to the Question of Nominal GDP Targeting

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  • Michael T. Belongia

    (University of Mississippi)

  • Peter N. Ireland

    (Boston College)

Abstract

Although a number of economists have tried to revive the idea of nominal GDP targeting since the financial market collapse of 2008, relatively little has been offered in terms of a specific framework for how this objective might be achieved in practice. In this paper we adopt a strategy outlined by Holbrook Working (1923) and employed, with only minor modifications, by Hallman, et al. (1991) in the P-Star model. We then present a series of theoretical and empirical results to show that Divisia monetary aggregates can be controlled by the Federal Reserve and that the trend velocities of these aggregates, by virtue of the properties of superlative indexes, exhibit the stability required to make long-run targeting feasible.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael T. Belongia & Peter N. Ireland, 2012. "A "Working" Solution to the Question of Nominal GDP Targeting," Boston College Working Papers in Economics 802, Boston College Department of Economics, revised 04 Jan 2013.
    • Handle: RePEc:boc:bocoec:802
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    nominal GDP targeting; Holbrook Working; P-Star;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E51 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Money Supply; Credit; Money Multipliers

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