This paper reviews the recent literature on monetary policy rules. We exposit the monetary policy design problem within a simple baseline theoretical framework. We then consider the implications of adding various real world complications. Among other things, we show that the optimal policy...

This article develops two hypotheses about economically-relevant values of Christian believers, according to which Protestants should work more and more effectively, as in the “work ethic” argument of Max Weber, or display a stronger “social ethic” that would lead them to monitor each...

This paper reconsiders the empirical evidence on the asymmetric output effects of monetary policy. Asymmetric effects is a common feature of many theoretical models, and there are many different versions of such asymmetries. We concentrate on the distinctions between positive and negative...

Recent economic growth theory has suggested that wealth differences across nations must be due, at least in part, to the failure in many places to adopt existing production techniques. There are many potential reasons for the failure to adopt existing technology, including the political clout of...

The paper presents a three period model that studies the eects of IMF loans on borrowers’ and lenders’ welfare highlighting the fact that the IMF has both de jure and de facto seniority rights over private creditors. It is shown that an IMF intervention affects borrowers and...

This paper carries out a comparative analysis of the inflation effects on relative price variability (RPV) in two economies with a inflationary experiences clearly different: Argentina and Spain. The results indicate non-neutrality of inflation, particularly in extreme inflation. The main...

The effects of inflation on real wage dispersion and welfare are studied in a cash-in-advance economy with a Walrasian goods market but a labor market with search friction. In the labor market, firms post wages and both employed and unemployed workers search among the posted wages. In...