Embargo
On staggered prices and optimal inflation
(2019) Aguilera Bravo, Asier; Casares Polo, Miguel; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This paper computes the steady-state optimal rate of inflation assuming two different sticky-price specifications, Calvo (1983) and Taylor (1980), in a model with monopolistic competition. The optimal rate of inflation in steady state is always positive. This result is robust to changes in the degree of price stickiness. In both cases of staggered prices, the optimal rate of inflation is approximately equal to the ratio between the rate of discount and the Dixit-Stiglitz elasticity.
Open Access
Monopolistic competition, sticky prices, and the minimal mark-up in steady state
(2007) Casares Polo, Miguel; Economía; Ekonomia
This note reports the rate of inflation that minimizes the mark-up of prices over marginal costs in the steady-state solution of a monopolistic competition model with either Taylor (1980) or Calvo (1983) pricing. The minimal mark-up is always found at a positive and low rate of inflation for any sensible parameter calibration. Actually, the rate of inflation that minimizes the mark-up is very close to ratio between the real rate of discount and the Dixit-Stiglitz elasticity. This result is robust to altenative sticky-price specifications.
Open Access
Business cycle and monetary policy analysis in a structural sticky price model of the euro area
(2001) Casares Polo, Miguel; Economía; Ekonomia
Structural models are a powerful tool for business cycle and monetary policy analysis because they are assumed to be invariant to either policy changes or external shocks. In this paper, we derive a neoclassical monetary model in which both the demand and supply side are structural in the sense that the behavioral equations obtained are rigorously calculated from optimizing decisions of the individuals. Moreover, we introduce price stickiness on the supply side decisions so as to have relevant short-run real effects of monetary policy through the real interest rate channel. The resulting medium-size model will be calibrated and estimated for the euro area economies. As two examples of the applications of the model for the euro area, some simulations on business cycle and monetary policy analysis will be carried out.
Open Access
A new Keynesian analysis of industrial employment fluctuations
(2009) Casares Polo, Miguel; Economía; Ekonomia
This paper describes a model with sticky prices, search frictions and hours-clearing wages that provides firm differentiation across several dimensions: price, output, wage, employment and hours per worker. The connection between pricing and hiring decisions results in firm-level employment fluctuations that depend upon sticky prices, search costs, demand elasticity and labor supply elasticity. The calibrated model is able to match average US industrial employment volatility when assuming a small industrial size, providing one possible answer to Shimer (2005a)’s puzzle.
Open Access
On firm-level, industry-level, and aggregate employment fluctuations
(2013) Casares Polo, Miguel; Economía; Ekonomia
Employment fluctuations are examined, at different levels of aggregation, in a dynamic model that provides firm-specific hiring decisions due to search frictions and sticky pricing. The results indicate that firm-level employment dispersion rises with higher price stickiness and higher demand elasticity, whereas it falls with more convexity of search costs and with a higher labor supply elasticity. Industry-level employment is more volatile and less procyclical than aggregate employment, and a larger industry size reduces volatility and raises co-movement with output. The calibrated model is able to match the volatility, autocorrelation and cyclical correlation of US industry-level employment when incorporating firm-specific technology shocks.
Open Access
On staggered prices and optimal inflation
(Elsevier, 2019) Aguilera Bravo, Asier; Casares Polo, Miguel; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
This paper computes the steady-state optimal rate of inflation in a model with monopolistic competition under two different sticky-price specifications, Calvo (1983) and Taylor (1980).The optimal rate of inflation is positive and almost identical to the ratio between the rate of discount and the Dixit-Stiglitzelasticity.