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Should Inequality Factor into Central Banks' Decisions?

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  • Mr. Niels-Jakob H Hansen
  • Alessandro Lin
  • Rui Mano

Abstract

Inequality is increasingly a concern. Fiscal and structural policies are well-understood mitigators. However, less is known about the potential role of monetary policy. This paper investigates how inequality matters for monetary policy within a tractable Two-Agent New Keynesian model that captures important dimensions of inequality. We find some support for making inequality an explicit target for monetary policy, particularly if central banks follow standard Taylor rules.

Suggested Citation

  • Mr. Niels-Jakob H Hansen & Alessandro Lin & Rui Mano, 2020. "Should Inequality Factor into Central Banks' Decisions?," IMF Working Papers 2020/196, International Monetary Fund.
    • Handle: RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2020/196
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    Cited by:

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    2. Pavel Vikharev & Anna Novak & Andrei Shulgin, 2023. "Inequality and monetary policy: THRANK model," Bank of Russia Working Paper Series wps113, Bank of Russia.
    3. Ruben Tarne & Dirk Bezemer & Thomas Theobald, 2021. "The Effect of borrower-specific Loan-to-Value policies on household debt, wealth inequality and consumption volatility," IMK Working Paper 212-2021, IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute.
    4. Tarne, Ruben & Bezemer, Dirk & Theobald, Thomas, 2022. "The effect of borrower-specific loan-to-value policies on household debt, wealth inequality and consumption volatility: An agent-based analysis," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    5. Vasileios Karaferis & Tatiana Kirsanova & Campbell Leith, 2024. "Equity versus Efficiency: Optimal Monetary and Fiscal Policy in a HANK Economy," Working Papers 2024_11, Business School - Economics, University of Glasgow.
    6. Lin, Alessandro & Peruffo, Marcel, 2024. "Aggregate uncertainty, HANK, and the ZLB," Working Paper Series 2911, European Central Bank.
    7. Valeria Zvereva & Olga Demidova & Dmitry Korshunov & Alexander Myasnikov, 2024. "Impact of Intraregional Income Inequality on the Operation of the Bank of Russia's Monetary Policy Transmission Mechanism," Russian Journal of Money and Finance, Bank of Russia, vol. 83(1), pages 3-31, March.

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