Inflation, financial conditions and non-standard monetary policy in a monetary union. A model-based evaluation

Lorenzo Burlon, Andrea Gerali (andrea.gerali@bancaditalia.it), Alessandro Notarpietro and Massimiliano Pisani

No 1015, Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) from Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area

Abstract: This paper evaluates the macroeconomic effects of purchases of long-term sovereign bonds by a central bank in a monetary union when (1) the private sector faces tight financial conditions and (2) the zero lower bound (ZLB) on the policy rate holds. To this end, we calibrate a dynamic general equilibrium model to the euro area (EA). We assume that households in one member country have a large initial debt position and are subject to a borrowing constraint. We simulate the effects of a negative EA-wide demand shock that induces a decline in inflation. The main results are as follows. First, the reduction in inflation amplifies the domestic and cross-country spillovers of the negative demand shock because of the country-specific borrowing constraint and the ZLB. Second, sovereign bond purchases boost economic activity and, hence, indirectly allow households to reduce their debt and relax the borrowing constraint. Third, the new, lower value of debt allows households to smooth consumption, fostering macroeconomic resilience not only in the member country concerned but also in the rest of the monetary union.

Keywords: DSGE models; financial frictions; open-economy macroeconomics; non-standard monetary policy; zero lower bound (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E43 E44 E52 E58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015-06
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-dge, nep-eec, nep-mac, nep-mon and nep-opm
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

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