IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/rtr/wpaper/0095.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Short period and long period in macroeconomics: an awkward distinction

Author

Listed:
  • Eleonora Sanfilippo

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to show that the use and meaning of the well-known concepts of short period and long period is often unclear and may be seriously misleading when applied to macroeconomic analysis. Evidence of this confusion emerges through examination of four macroeconomics textbooks and reappraisal of the interpretative debate - which took place mainly in the 1980s and 1990s - aiming at establishing whether Keynes’s General Theory should be considered as a short- or long-period analysis of the aggregate level of production. Having explored some possible explanations for the difficulties in defining and applying these methodological tools at a ‘macro’ level, the conclusion is suggested that it would be preferable to abandon this terminology in classifying different aggregate models and simply to make explicit the given factors, independent and dependent variables in each model in use, exactly as Keynes did in Chapter 18 of his major work.

Suggested Citation

  • Eleonora Sanfilippo, 2008. "Short period and long period in macroeconomics: an awkward distinction," Departmental Working Papers of Economics - University 'Roma Tre' 0095, Department of Economics - University Roma Tre.
    • Handle: RePEc:rtr:wpaper:0095
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://host.uniroma3.it/dipartimenti/economia/pdf/wp95.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Robinson, Joan, 1978. "Contributions to Modern Economics," Elsevier Monographs, Elsevier, edition 1, number 9780125905503.
    2. Meade, James E, 1993. "The Meaning of "Internal Balance."," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 83(6), pages 3-9, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gordon, Robert J, 1984. "The Short-run Demand for Money: A Reconsideration," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 16(4), pages 403-434, November.
    2. Ibrahima Amadou Diallo, 2019. "A Bayesian DSGE Model Comparison of the Taylor Rule and Nominal GDP Targeting," Working Papers hal-02281971, HAL.
    3. Roberto M. Billi, 2020. "Output Gaps and Robust Monetary Policy Rules," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 16(2), pages 125-152, March.
    4. Jonathan Benchimol & André Fourçans, 2016. "Nominal income versus Taylor-type rules in practice," Working Papers hal-01357870, HAL.
    5. Filiani, Pasquale, 2021. "Optimal monetary–fiscal policy in the euro area liquidity crisis," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    6. Billi, Roberto M., 2018. "Price level targeting and risk management," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 163-173.
    7. Roger E A Farmer, 2020. "The importance of beliefs in shaping macroeconomic outcomes," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 36(3), pages 675-711.
    8. McCallum, Bennett T. & Nelson, Edward, 1999. "Nominal income targeting in an open-economy optimizing model," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(3), pages 553-578, June.
    9. Guender, Alfred V. & Tam, Julie, 2004. "On the performance of nominal income targeting as a strategy for monetary policy in a small open economy," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 23(2), pages 143-163, March.
    10. Yara Zeineddine, 2021. "Institutional Aspects of Capital in Joan Robinson's 'Rules of the Game': Rentier versus Entrepreneurs in Managerial Capitalism," Working Papers hal-03230146, HAL.
    11. Phillip Edmund Metaxas & Ernst Juerg Weber, 2016. "An Australian Contribution to International Trade Theory: The Dependent Economy Model," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 92(298), pages 464-497, September.
    12. Timonen, Jouni, 1995. "Nominal income as an intermediate target for monetary policy," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 21/1995, Bank of Finland.
    13. Jörg Bibow, 2004. "Für eine Kehrtwende von der Spar- zur Wachstumsorientierung: nominales BIP-Ziel als Strategie der Makrowirtschaftspolitik in der Wirtschafts- und Währungsunion," Vierteljahrshefte zur Wirtschaftsforschung / Quarterly Journal of Economic Research, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research, vol. 73(3), pages 445-459.
    14. Jeffrey Frankel, 2017. "How to Cope with Volatile Commodity Export Prices: Four Proposals," CID Working Papers 335, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    15. Evan F. Koenig, 2011. "Monetary policy, financial stability, and the distribution of risk," Working Papers 1111, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
    16. Alfred V. Guender & Sharon McCaw, 2001. "The Role of Openness in the Debate on Rules vs. Discretion: A Simple Exposition," Australian Economic Papers, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(1), pages 91-110, March.
    17. Charles Bean, 2009. "'The Meaning of Internal Balance' Thirty Years On," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 119(541), pages 442-460, November.
    18. Selim KAYHAN & Muhsin KAR & Ahmet ŞAHBAZ, 2015. "Is CPI a suitable tool for inflation targeting? A critical view," Theoretical and Applied Economics, Asociatia Generala a Economistilor din Romania / Editura Economica, vol. 0(3(604), A), pages 21-38, Autumn.
    19. Fang, Chung-rou & Lai, Ching-chong, 2002. "Targeting nominal income versus targeting price level: A target zone perspective," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 11(3), pages 229-249.
    20. Eagle, David M., 2012. "Nominal GDP targeting for a speedier economic recovery," MPRA Paper 39821, University Library of Munich, Germany.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:rtr:wpaper:0095. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Telephone for information (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/dero3it.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.