A macroeconomic model of liquidity crises

We develop a macroeconomic model in which liquidity plays an essential role in the production process, because _rms have a commitment problem regarding factor payments. A liquidity crisis occurs when _rms fail to obtain su_cient liquidity, and may be caused either by self-ful_lling beliefs or by fundamental shocks. Our model is consistent with the observation that the decline in output during the Great Recession is mostly attributable to the deterioration in the labor wedge, rather than in productivity. The government's commitment to guarantee bank deposits reduces the possibility of a self-fulfilling crisis, but it increases that of a fundamental crisis.