Since the objective of economic policy is to change target variables in the DGP, when economic policy analysis uses an econometric model, it is important that the model delivers reliable inferences about policy responses in the DGP. This requires that the model be congruent and encompassing, and...

This paper reports quarterly ex ante forecasts of macroeconomic activity for the U.S.A., Japan and Australia for the period 1995-1997. The forecasts are based on automated time series models of vector autoregressions (VAR's), reduced rank regressions (RRR's), error correction models (ECM's) and...

A specification search algorithm is proposed that aims to assist the user in the process of constructing Vector Error Correction Models. The algorithm automates testing the cointegration rank of the system and performs simplifications based on possible weak exogeneity of some variables....