We study standard monetary-policy rules with inflation-rate targets and either interest-rate or money-supply instruments using a flexible-price, perfect-foresight model. We focus mainly on interest-rate rules, but the results for money-supply rules are analogous. A locally-unique target equilibrium always exists. There are also below-target equilibria (BTE) with inflation below target and constant or asymptotically approaching or eventually reaching a below-target value. Liquidity traps are neither necessary nor sufficient for BTE. Such equilibria can also arise if monetary policy keeps the interest rate above a lower bound. We construct monetary-policy rules that preclude BTE. All are non-monotonic and discontinuous in current inflation. Each implies a difference equation in inflation. Some of these difference equations are continuous, but others are not. They are all non-monotonic and non-differentiable at a point. We argue that Japan's difficulties in the 1990s were probably the result of a stabilization problem rather than an indeterminacy problem.

Abraham, Arpad / Carceles-Poveda , Eva / Cavalcanti, Tiago / Kambourov, Gueorgui / Lambertini, Luisa / Ruhl, Kim / Tavares, Jose
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Price-Level Determinacy, Lower Bounds on the Nominal Interest Rate, and Liquidity Traps
1Norges Bank, ra7@georgetown.edu
2Federal Reserve Board, hendersd@frb.gov
Citation Information: Contributions in Macroeconomics. Volume 6, Issue 1, Pages –, ISSN (Online) 1534-6005, DOI: 10.2202/1534-6005.1437, November 2006
Publication History:
- Published Online:
- 2006-11-02
Keywords: monetary policy; zero bound; liquidity trap; inflation targeting; indeterminacy


















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