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Gains from commitment in monetary policy: Implications of the cost channel

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  • Demirel, Ufuk Devrim

Abstract

Many empirical studies find robust evidence that marginal cost of production directly depends on the nominal rate of interest. This relationship induces a cost channel for monetary policy transmission. Although the empirical literature provides ample evidence for a cost channel, studies that evaluate the welfare gains from monetary policy commitment have so far entirely ignored its presence. This study shows that, overlooking the cost channel, one significantly underestimates the welfare gains from monetary policy commitment. I find that there is a robust positive relationship between the size of the cost channel and welfare gains from monetary policy commitment. Using a version of the new Keynesian model calibrated to the US economy, I find that failure to take into account the presence of a cost channel leads to an understatement of the gains from monetary policy commitment by an amount equivalent to a 0.48 percentage points permanent cut in quarterly inflation.

Suggested Citation

  • Demirel, Ufuk Devrim, 2013. "Gains from commitment in monetary policy: Implications of the cost channel," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 38(PB), pages 218-226.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jmacro:v:38:y:2013:i:pb:p:218-226
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmacro.2013.06.005
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    Cited by:

    1. Lasitha R. C. Pathberiya, 2016. "Optimal Monetary Policy at the Zero Lower Bound on Nominal Interest Rates in a Cost Channel Economy," Discussion Papers Series 568, School of Economics, University of Queensland, Australia.
    2. Airaudo, Marco & Olivero, María Pía, 2014. "Optimal Monetary Policy with Counter-Cyclical Credit Spreads," School of Economics Working Paper Series 2014-1, LeBow College of Business, Drexel University.
    3. Givens, Gregory E., 2016. "On the gains from monetary policy commitment under deep habits," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 19-36.
    4. Jakob Palek, 2015. "The Optimal Monetary and Fiscal Policy Mix in a Financially Heterogeneous Monetary Union," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201506, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).
    5. Palek, Jakob, 2015. "The Optimal Monetary and Fiscal Policy Mix in a Financially Heterogeneous Monetary Union," VfS Annual Conference 2015 (Muenster): Economic Development - Theory and Policy 113047, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    6. Palek, Jakob & Schwanebeck, Benjamin, 2017. "Financial frictions and optimal stabilization policy in a monetary union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 462-477.
    7. Marco Airaudo & María Pía Olivero, 2019. "Optimal Monetary Policy with Countercyclical Credit Spreads," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(4), pages 787-829, June.
    8. Chattopadhyay, Siddhartha & Ghosh, Taniya, 2020. "Taylor Rule implementation of the optimal policy at the zero lower bound: Does the cost channel matter?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 351-366.
    9. Jochen Michaelis & Jakob Palek, 2014. "Optimal Monetary Policy in a Currency Union: Implications of a Country-specific Cost Channel," MAGKS Papers on Economics 201444, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Faculty of Business Administration and Economics, Department of Economics (Volkswirtschaftliche Abteilung).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Cost channel; Optimal monetary policy; Commitment; Discretion;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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