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Understanding the Great Recession

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  • Lawrence J. Christiano
  • Martin S. Eichenbaum
  • Mathias Trabandt

Abstract

We argue that the vast bulk of movements in aggregate real economic activity during the Great Recession were due to financial frictions interacting with the zero lower bound. We reach this conclusion looking through the lens of a New Keynesian model in which firms face moderate degrees of price rigidities and no nominal rigidities in the wage setting process. Our model does a good job of accounting for the joint behavior of labor and goods markets, as well as inflation, during the Great Recession. According to the model the observed fall in total factor productivity and the rise in the cost of working capital played critical roles in accounting for the small size of the drop in inflation that occurred during the Great Recession.

Suggested Citation

  • Lawrence J. Christiano & Martin S. Eichenbaum & Mathias Trabandt, 2014. "Understanding the Great Recession," NBER Working Papers 20040, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
  • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:20040
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E1 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models
    • E2 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment
    • E3 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles

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