We study the effects of changes in uncertainty about future fiscal policy on aggregate economic activity. Fiscal deficits and public debt have risen sharply in the wake of the financial crisis. While these developments make fiscal consolidation inevitable, there is considerable uncertainty about...

The dynamics of a linear (or linearized) dynamic stochastic economic model can be expressed in terms of matrices (A,B,C,D) that define a state space system. An associated state space system (A,K,C, Sigma) determines a vector autoregression for observables available to an econometrician. We...

This paper compares two methods for undertaking likelihood-based inference in dynamic equilibrium economies: a Sequential Monte Carlo filter proposed by Fernandez-Villaverde and Rubio-Ramirez (2004) and the Kalman filter. The Sequential Monte Carlo filter exploits the nonlinear structure of the...

This paper examines how supply-side policies may play a role in fighting a low aggregate demand that traps an economy at the zero lower bound (ZLB) of nominal interest rates. Future increases in productivity or reductions in mark-ups triggered by supply-side policies generate a wealth effect...