The nonlinear effects of uncertainty shocks on U.S. macroeconomic activity are examined using a smooth transition VAR model in which the dynamic relationship between the variables changes with the level of economic policy uncertainty. We find that the responses of the variables change with the...

Announcing a large fiscal stimulus may signal the government’s pessimism about the severity of a recession to the private sector, impairing the stabilizing effects of the policy. Using a theoretical model, we show that these signaling effects occur when the stimulus exceeds expectations and...