Checking if the Straitjacket Fits

Michael R. Wickens and Adrian Pagan

No 14140, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper discusses, and provides new evidence on, the view that "theory, while essential, should be regarded as a flexible framework rather than a straightjacket, because features that the theory abstracts from may be important in practice". It considers how best to assess the empirical performance of tightly specified models such as DSGE models, and loosely specified models such as SVARs. These issues are illustrated using various New Keynesian models. We conclude that the challenge is to incorporate flexibility into the theory in such a way as to be compatible with both the theory and the data.

Keywords: Model testing; Dsge models; Svars (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C52 E3 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019-11
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dge, nep-hpe and nep-mac
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Working Paper: Checking If the Straitjacket Fits (2019)
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