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Inflation and real disequilibria

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  • Mark S Astley
  • Tony Yates

Abstract

This paper outlines some problems with the methods often used to construct measures of real 'disequilibria' or 'gaps' (eg the output gap) and to examine their relationship with inflation. It then offers a structural vector autoregression alternative which is used to construct estimates of output, unemployment and capacity utilisation gaps. Gap estimates are constructed by summing the effects of particular structural shocks, where the shocks are identified using long-run restrictions derived from theory. The approach has four main advantages over other methods. First, it uses economics rather than statistics to construct the gaps. Second, the estimates are not contingent upon particular assumptions about the structure of the economy. Third, it does not impose a rigid causal chain running from gaps to inflation. Fourth, it permits the simultaneous construction of several gap measures and the examination of their relationship with inflation in a single framework, so that the three gap measures are internally consistent and can be used to make inferences about the structure of the economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Mark S Astley & Tony Yates, 1999. "Inflation and real disequilibria," Bank of England working papers 103, Bank of England.
  • Handle: RePEc:boe:boeewp:103
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    File URL: http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/archive/Documents/historicpubs/workingpapers/1999/wp103.pdf
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    Cited by:

    1. Martha Misas A & Enrique López E, 2001. "Desequilibrios Reales En Colombia," Revista ESPE - Ensayos Sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República, vol. 19(40), pages 5-45, December.
    2. Jens Larsen & Katharine Neiss & Fergal Shortall, 2007. "Factor Utilization and Adjusted Productivity Estimates for the UK," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 69(2), pages 245-269, April.
    3. Odile Chagny & Jörg Döpke, 2001. "Measures of the Output Gap in the Euro-Zone: An Empirical Assessment of Selected Methods," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 70(3), pages 310-332.
    4. Charles St-Arnaud, 2004. "Une approche éclectique d'estimation du PIB potentiel pour le Royaume-Uni," Staff Working Papers 04-46, Bank of Canada.
    5. Jan Gottschalk & Willem Van Zandweghe, 2003. "Do Bivariate SVAR Models with Long-Run Identifying Restrictions Yield Reliable Results? An Investigation into the Case of Germany," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 139(I), pages 55-81, March.
    6. Vincenzo Cassino & Michael Joyce, 2003. "Forecasting inflation using labour market indicators," Bank of England working papers 195, Bank of England.
    7. Rebecca L Driver & Jennifer V Greenslade & Richard G Pierse, 2003. "The role of expectations in estimates of the NAIRU in the United States and the United Kingdom," Bank of England working papers 180, Bank of England.
    8. Nicoletta Batini & Jennifer V. Greenslade, 2006. "Measuring the UK short-run NAIRU," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 58(1), pages 28-49, January.
    9. Ángel Estrada & Ignacio Hernando & J. David López-Salido, 2000. "Measuring the NAIRU in the Spanish Economy," Working Papers 0009, Banco de España.
    10. Tor Jacobson & Per Jansson & Anders Vredin & Anders Warne, 2001. "Monetary policy analysis and inflation targeting in a small open economy: a VAR approach," Journal of Applied Econometrics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 16(4), pages 487-520.
    11. Huh, Hyeon-seung & Jang, Inwon, 2007. "Nonlinear Phillips curve, sacrifice ratio, and the natural rate of unemployment," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 24(5), pages 797-813, September.
    12. Höppner, Florian & Gottschalk, Jan, 2001. "Measuring the Effects of Monetary Policy in the Euro Area: The Role of Anticipated Policy," Kiel Working Papers 1074, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).
    13. Jens Larsen & Katharine Neiss & Fergal Shortall, 2002. "Factor utilisation and productivity estimates for the United Kingdom," Bank of England working papers 162, Bank of England.
    14. Jennifer V Greenslade & Richard G Pierse & Jumana Saleheen, 2003. "A Kalman filter approach to estimating the UK NAIRU," Bank of England working papers 179, Bank of England.
    15. Christian Schumacher, 2001. "Trend and Cycle in the Euro-Area: A Permanent-Transitory Decomposition Using a Cointegrated VAR Model," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 70(3), pages 352-363.
    16. Pablo Burriel-Llombart & Jonathan Thomas, 2001. "Skill imbalances in the UK labour market: 1979-99," Bank of England working papers 145, Bank of England.
    17. Acevedo Rueda, Rafael Alexis & Mora Mora, José U. & Harmath Fernández, Pedro Alexander, 2012. "La brecha del producto y el producto potencial en Venezuela: una estimación SVAR [Output Gap and Potential GDP in Venezuela: A SVAR Estimation]," MPRA Paper 58691, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2013.

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