Inequality-Constrained Monetary Policy in a Financialized Economy

Luca Fierro, Federico Giri and Alberto Russo

No 474, Working Papers from Universita' Politecnica delle Marche (I), Dipartimento di Scienze Economiche e Sociali

Abstract: We study how income inequality affects monetary policy through the inequality household debt channel. We design a minimal macro Agent-Based model that replicates several stylized facts, including two novel ones: falling aggregate saving rate and decreasing bankruptcies during the household's debt boom phase. When inequality meets financial liberalization, a leaning against-the-wind strategy can preserve financial stability at the cost of high unemployment, whereas an accommodative strategy, i.e. lowering the policy rate, can dampen the fall of aggregate demand at the cost of larger leverage. We conclude that inequality may constrain the central bank, even when it is not explicitly targeted.

Keywords: Inequality; Financial Fragility; Monetary Policy; Agent-Based Model (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D31 E21 E25 E31 E52 G51 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 46
Date: 2023-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-ban, nep-cmp, nep-hme and nep-mon
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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http://docs.dises.univpm.it/web/quaderni/pdf/474.pdf First version, 2023 (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Inequality-constrained monetary policy in a financialized economy (2023)
Working Paper: Inequality-Constrained Monetary Policy in a Financialized Economy (2023)
Working Paper: Inequality-Constrained Monetary Policy in a Financialized Economy (2023)
Working Paper: Inequality-Constrained Monetary Policy in a Financialized Economy (2022)
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