What are the steady-state implications of inflation in a general-equilibrium model with real per capita output growth and staggered nominal price and wage contracts? Surprisingly, a benchmark calibration implies an optimal inflation rate of -1.9 percent. The analysis also shows that trend...

In both the canonical and many extended versions of the New Keynesian model, optimal monetary policy under commitment implies price-level stationarity as long as expectations are rational. We show that this is no longer the case if the central bank and private agents make decisions before...

This paper provides a detailed empirical analysis of Canadian city housing prices. We examine the long-run relationship between city house prices in Canada from 1985 to 2005 as well as idiosyncratic relations between city prices and city-specific variables. The results suggest that city house...

Research aimed at explaining the greater persistence of unemployment in European countries relative to the US has found higher employment adjustment costs in Europe to be a significant contributing factor. This paper explores the potential for costly adjustment of labour to explain at least some...