Estimating robustness

Bálint Szőke

Journal of Economic Theory, 2022, vol. 199, issue C

Abstract: I estimate and evaluate a model with a representative agent who is concerned that the persistence properties of her baseline model of consumption and inflation are misspecified. Coping with model uncertainty, she discovers a pessimistically biased worst-case model that dictates her behavior. I combine interest rates and aggregate macro series with cross-equation restrictions implied by robust control theory to estimate this worst-case distribution and show that (1) the model's predictions about key features of the yield curve are in line with the data, and (2) the degree of pessimism underlying these findings is plausible. Interpreting the worst-case as the agent's subjective belief, I derive model implied interest rate forecasts and compare them with analogous survey expectations. I find that the model can replicate the dynamics and average level of bias found in the survey.

Keywords: Robustness; Relative entropy; Asset prices; Survey expectations; Zero-coupon yields (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C51 C58 D81 D84 G12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jetheo:v:199:y:2022:i:c:s0022053121000429

DOI: 10.1016/j.jet.2021.105225

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