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Price Level Stability: Some Issues

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  • Vitor Gaspar
  • Frank Smets

Abstract

This article challenges the conventional wisdom that price level targeting necessarily increases the volatility of inflation and economic activity. It shows that the optimal policy under commitment for a society that cares only about the variability of output and inflation involves only a limited degree of base drift. The result crucially depends on the importance of forward- looking behaviour and on the credibility of the commitments. The case for price level targeting is strengthened when the possibility of a binding lower bound on nominal interest rates is considered. This may be increasingly relevant in a low inflation environment. This justifies renewed interest on price level targets in the context of thinking through how to prevent and respond to deflationary risks

Suggested Citation

  • Vitor Gaspar & Frank Smets, 2000. "Price Level Stability: Some Issues," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 174(1), pages 68-79, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:niesru:v:174:y:2000:i:1:p:68-79
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    Cited by:

    1. Tony Yates, 2004. "Monetary Policy and the Zero Bound to Interest Rates: A Review1," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(3), pages 427-481, July.
    2. Monacelli, Tommaso, 2001. "New International Monetary Arrangements and the Exchange Rate," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 6(4), pages 389-400, October.
    3. Aaron MEHROTRA, 2004. "Could Japan Target the Price Level or Inflation - What Happens to Monetary Policy Effectiveness during Disinflation?," Economics Working Papers ECO2004/02, European University Institute.
    4. Mehrotra, Aaron, 2009. "The case for price level or inflation targeting--What happened to monetary policy effectiveness during the Japanese disinflation?," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 280-291, August.
    5. Hatcher, Michael C., 2011. "Comparing inflation and price-level targeting: A comprehensive review of the literature," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2011/22, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    6. Rossana MEROLA, 2012. "Monetary policy and fiscal stimulus with the zero lower bound and financial frictions," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2012024, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    7. Frederic Mishkin & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel, 2002. "A Decade of Inflation Targeting in the World: What Do We Know and What Do We Need to Know?," Central Banking, Analysis, and Economic Policies Book Series, in: Norman Loayza & Raimundo Soto & Norman Loayza (Series Editor) & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel (Series Editor) (ed.),Inflation Targeting: Desing, Performance, Challenges, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 4, pages 171-220, Central Bank of Chile.
    8. Takatoshi Ito & Frederic S. Mishkin, 2006. "Two Decades of Japanese Monetary Policy and the Deflation Problem," NBER Chapters, in: Monetary Policy with Very Low Inflation in the Pacific Rim, pages 131-1997, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    9. Hatcher, Michael C., 2011. "Inflation versus price-level targeting and the zero lower bound: Stochastic simulations from the Smets-Wouters US model," Cardiff Economics Working Papers E2011/24, Cardiff University, Cardiff Business School, Economics Section.
    10. Carlos Vieira & Isabel Vieira & Sofia Costa, 2003. "Monetary and Fiscal Policies in EMU: some relevant issues," Eastward Enlargement of the Euro-zone Working Papers wp17f, Free University Berlin, Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence, revised 01 Mar 2003.
    11. Vítor Gaspar, 2007. "Is Time Ripe for Price Level Path Stability?," Working Papers w200719, Banco de Portugal, Economics and Research Department.
    12. Dr Bimal Jalan, 2009. "Summary of the Welcome Remarks by Dr.Bimal Jalan, Governor, at the 11th C.D. Deshmukh Memorial Lecture," Working Papers id:1971, eSocialSciences.
    13. Frederic S. Mishkin & Klaus Schmidt-Hebbel, 2001. "One decade of inflation targeting in the world : What do we know and what do we need to know?," Working Papers Central Bank of Chile 101, Central Bank of Chile.

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