The three-step generalized methods of moments (GMM) approach of Kapoor, Kelejian and Prucha (2007), which corrects for spatially correlated errors in static panel data models, is extended by introducing fixed effects, a spatial lag, and a one-period lag of the dependent variable as additional...

This paper employs concepts from information theory to choosing the dimension of a data set. We propose a relative information measure connected to Kullback-Leibler numbers. By ordering the series of the data set according to the measure, we are able to obtain a subset of a data set that is most...

This paper employs concepts from information to choosing the dimension of a data set. We calculate relative measures of information in the data in terms of eigenvalues and derive criteria to determine the ‘optimal’ size of the data set, in particular whether an extra variable adds...

We extend the three-step generalized methods of moments (GMM) approach of Kapoor, Kelejian, and Prucha (2007), which corrects for spatially correlated errors in static panel data models, by introducing a spatial lag and a one-period lag of the dependent variable as additional explanatory...

This paper focuses on the importance of fiscal policy rules for the conduct of monetary policy in the euro area, building upon the idea that monetary and fiscal policy should not be conducted in isolation. We derive a fiscal closure rule for the euro area that is consistent with the requirements...

We argue that if currency union member states have different potential output per capita, output growth rates, or trade balances, the common monetary policy may not be optimal for all of them. Euro area imbalances for potential output and for trade balances are quite large, while output growth...

Economists typically use seasonally adjusted data in which the assumption is imposed that seasonality is uncorrelated with trend and cycle. The importance of this assumption has been highlighted by the Great Recession. The paper examines an unobserved components model that permits non-zero...

According to the so-called ‘fiscal theory of the price level' (FTPL), under a non-Ricardian regime the price level has to adjust to fulfil the government's budget constraint. In contrast, under a Ricardian regime, government balances adjust in order to preserve government solvency. We...

This paper focuses on testing non-stationary real-time data for forecastability, i.e., whether data revisions reduce noise or are news, by putting data releases in vector-error correction forms. To deal with historical revisions which affect the whole vintage of time series due to redefinitions,...

We examine the dynamic impact of household borrowing on the trade balance using data from 33 developing countries and 36 developed countries over the 1980-2017 period. Our findings suggest that the impact of household borrowing on the trade balance is by and large negative, both in the short and...