Economic policy when interest rates are zero. This Project studies economic policy when interest rates are zero. Low interest rate environments constrain monetary policy because central banks cannot lower rates to raise demand. We exploit recent international experience with zero rates to understand why new policies have had mixed success. We argue different outcomes across countries arise because of different degrees of credibility and familiarity with new policy initiatives. We provide empiric ....Economic policy when interest rates are zero. This Project studies economic policy when interest rates are zero. Low interest rate environments constrain monetary policy because central banks cannot lower rates to raise demand. We exploit recent international experience with zero rates to understand why new policies have had mixed success. We argue different outcomes across countries arise because of different degrees of credibility and familiarity with new policy initiatives. We provide empirical support for this view and study the consequences of imperfectly credible policy. We characterize how monetary policy (conventional and unconventional) and fiscal policy can be used to greatest effect in low interest rate environments and quantify the welfare implications for Australia. Read moreRead less
Monetary and Fiscal Policy under Imperfect Knowledge. This project lays out an agenda exploring the consequences of imperfect knowledge for macroeconomic dynamics and stabilisation policy. Learning dynamics are central to understanding aggregate fluctuations in periods during which agents have limited information about their environment, as has been the case during and after the Global Financial Crisis. The agenda comprises two lines of inquiry. The first develops theoretical issues relating to ....Monetary and Fiscal Policy under Imperfect Knowledge. This project lays out an agenda exploring the consequences of imperfect knowledge for macroeconomic dynamics and stabilisation policy. Learning dynamics are central to understanding aggregate fluctuations in periods during which agents have limited information about their environment, as has been the case during and after the Global Financial Crisis. The agenda comprises two lines of inquiry. The first develops theoretical issues relating to the design and implementation of monetary and fiscal policy under imperfect knowledge. The second adduces empirical evidence on the classes of possible beliefs that any macroeconomic model should account for.Read moreRead less
Monetary-fiscal policy interactions and their effect on economic performance: new theory, empirics, and an application to Australia. Both fiscal and monetary policy are powerful tools that affect the wellbeing of individuals. Even if current policies are 'responsible', the social cost of uncertainty about the future is extremely high - to which the 2004 'high interest rates under Labour' election campaign or current heated fiscal debates in the US and EU testify. Our analysis will contribute to ....Monetary-fiscal policy interactions and their effect on economic performance: new theory, empirics, and an application to Australia. Both fiscal and monetary policy are powerful tools that affect the wellbeing of individuals. Even if current policies are 'responsible', the social cost of uncertainty about the future is extremely high - to which the 2004 'high interest rates under Labour' election campaign or current heated fiscal debates in the US and EU testify. Our analysis will contribute to the reduction of the social cost by identifying the institutional setting that is robust to 'bad' policymakers, i.e. one in which socially optimal policies are 'institutionalized' (legislated) rather than resting with individuals. Such arrangements are further likely to stimulate investment and economic growth.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE150100708
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$352,000.00
Summary
Understanding the Linkage of Public and Private Risk in the Global Economy. This project aims to develop a richly detailed model of the global financial system including both public and private institutions. By treating the system as a network of interconnected entities, this project aims to introduce new techniques to map and to trace the evolution of risk in the financial system, to forecast the spillover of risk between entities in the system, and to conduct counterfactual analysis of potenti ....Understanding the Linkage of Public and Private Risk in the Global Economy. This project aims to develop a richly detailed model of the global financial system including both public and private institutions. By treating the system as a network of interconnected entities, this project aims to introduce new techniques to map and to trace the evolution of risk in the financial system, to forecast the spillover of risk between entities in the system, and to conduct counterfactual analysis of potential policy measures. This project will investigate the link between spillover intensity and the existing research on extreme events in financial data. By studying how the recent crisis spread through the global financial system, this project aims to enhance our ability to foresee future crises and to mitigate their impact and costs.Read moreRead less
Distorted Beliefs and Asset Price Disconnect Puzzles. Asset price booms and busts have broad ranging implications for households. Despite this, models used for policy analysis struggle to explain asset prices and their implications for the macroeconomy. This project will deliver frontier macro-finance research to inform academics and policymakers on how to model asset price booms and busts, to explain why equity and house price falls appear to have small versus large effects, and how to design e ....Distorted Beliefs and Asset Price Disconnect Puzzles. Asset price booms and busts have broad ranging implications for households. Despite this, models used for policy analysis struggle to explain asset prices and their implications for the macroeconomy. This project will deliver frontier macro-finance research to inform academics and policymakers on how to model asset price booms and busts, to explain why equity and house price falls appear to have small versus large effects, and how to design effective policy responses. Led by internationally recognized experts in macroeconomics, this research proposal is perfectly positioned to deliver scientific peer-reviewed research and embed outcomes through evidenced partnerships with the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Federal Department of Treasury.Read moreRead less
Nowcasting and Interpreting the Australian Economy. This project aims to investigate methods for nowcasting and interpreting the Australian economy. This is determining the current state of the economy and the factors contributing to it.
This project expects to generate new knowledge on how unconventional, new, data sources and innovative methods can be used to in nowcasting and how the Australian economy can be modelled.
The expected outcomes include timely new indicators of the state of the ec ....Nowcasting and Interpreting the Australian Economy. This project aims to investigate methods for nowcasting and interpreting the Australian economy. This is determining the current state of the economy and the factors contributing to it.
This project expects to generate new knowledge on how unconventional, new, data sources and innovative methods can be used to in nowcasting and how the Australian economy can be modelled.
The expected outcomes include timely new indicators of the state of the economy, and the factors contributing to it. This should provide significant benefits through informing the conduct of Australian macroeconomic policy, as the appropriate policy response depends not only on knowing the current state of the economy but understanding the economic factors underlying it.
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The Role of a Central Bank’s Balance Sheet in Shaping the Economy. In response to the global financial crisis, the world’s major central banks cut their rates to near zero and implemented untested unconventional monetary policies, significantly expanding the size and composition of their balance sheets. More than a decade later, the Reserve Bank of Australia is considering similar balance sheet policies. This proposal aims to develop various frameworks that can be used to simulate and evaluate w ....The Role of a Central Bank’s Balance Sheet in Shaping the Economy. In response to the global financial crisis, the world’s major central banks cut their rates to near zero and implemented untested unconventional monetary policies, significantly expanding the size and composition of their balance sheets. More than a decade later, the Reserve Bank of Australia is considering similar balance sheet policies. This proposal aims to develop various frameworks that can be used to simulate and evaluate when and how to eventually undo unconventional monetary policies in order to prevent a prolonged recession. Thus this research proposal will contribute to the current Australian monetary policy debate while providing some insights on how best to implement such policies, improving the living standards of Australians.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE210100137
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$347,889.00
Summary
Global Economic Uncertainty, Liquidity and Monetary Policy in Australia. This project aims to analyse the impact of global trade and financial uncertainty on the Australian economy and provide quantifiable policy prescriptions. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of monetary and macroeconomic policy using an innovative approach with search and matching frictions, to formalise how investors respond to higher uncertainty given their liquidity requirements. The intended outco ....Global Economic Uncertainty, Liquidity and Monetary Policy in Australia. This project aims to analyse the impact of global trade and financial uncertainty on the Australian economy and provide quantifiable policy prescriptions. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of monetary and macroeconomic policy using an innovative approach with search and matching frictions, to formalise how investors respond to higher uncertainty given their liquidity requirements. The intended outcomes of the project include offering a new theory with the potential to guide future research and novel quantitative application to Australian macroeconomic data. This should provide significant insights for institutions such as the Reserve Bank of Australia and benefits through the design of policy.Read moreRead less
State & territory economic performance and national economic policy. The research is intended to provide a better understanding of the relationship between national and state & territory economic behaviour in Australia and the relative strengths of common and idiosyncratic factors affecting economic performance across the states and territories. The results of the research will help to inform both national and sub-national economic policies and hence contribute to better economic and social outc ....State & territory economic performance and national economic policy. The research is intended to provide a better understanding of the relationship between national and state & territory economic behaviour in Australia and the relative strengths of common and idiosyncratic factors affecting economic performance across the states and territories. The results of the research will help to inform both national and sub-national economic policies and hence contribute to better economic and social outcomes in Australia.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE120102589
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$375,000.00
Summary
Monetary policy and models of money, credit and banking. This project develops models with money and credit following recent developments in monetary theory with microfoundations. The objectives of the project are to understand the fundamental functions of credit, how credit affects the aggregate economy, and how credit affects the transmission of monetary policy.