October 22

From the CEA Chair

Christina Romer discusses the economic crisis, the policy response, and the outlook for the future.

Textbook References:

Pages 654-655 “The Financial Crisis of 2008”
Page 657 “Bank Runs and the Money Supply”
Pages 664-676 “The Classical Theory of Inflation”
Chapter 33 “Aggregate Demand and Aggregate Supply”
Chapter 34 “The Influence of Monetary and Fiscal Policy on Aggregate Demand”
Chapter 35 “The Short-Run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment”
Chapter 36 “Five Debates over Macroeconomic Policy”

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July 21

The Fed’s Exit Strategy

Ben Bernanke explains how the Fed plans to prevent inflation when the recovery takes hold.

Textbook References:

Chapter 29 “The Monetary System”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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June 18

Deflation?

A graph shows that there has been deflation over the past year, as measured by the CPI. Yet when measured by the median CPI, there has been low inflation.

Textbook References:

Chapter 24 “Measuring the Cost of Living”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 746-9 “Why the Aggregate-Demand Curve Slopes Downward”

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May 26

More on Negative Interest Rates

Glen Rudebusch of the San Francisco Fed says that to be consistent with the Fed’s past policy, the interest rate would have to be negative five percent by the end of this year.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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May 11

Negative Interest Rates

The city of Prien am Chiemsee in Bavaria, Germany, employs a local currency that implements one of Mankiw’s suggestions for creating negative interest rates.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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May 7

More on Negative Interest Rates

Former central banker Willem Buiter endorses the idea of negative interest rates.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

 

May 5

Inflation or Deflation?

There is a humorous video of a country song that describes the debate about whether we are in danger of deflation or hyperinflation.

Textbook References:

Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?”

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May 4

Meltzer vs Krugman

Allan Meltzer is worried that the Fed’s easy money policy will lead to inflation. He is also worried that the Fed has lost its independence. Paul Krugman is worried about falling wages and the possibility of deflation.

Textbook References:

Pages 392-399 “The Demand for Labor”
Pages 399-400 “The Supply of Labor”
Pages 400-405 “Equilibrium in the Labor Market”
Pages 414-422 “Some Determinants of Equilibrium Wages”
Pages 648-649 “The Federal Reserve System”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?”

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Apr. 28

Fed Staff goes Negative

A Fed report says that the ideal interest rate now would be negative 5 percent.

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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Apr. 27

Instantaneous Deflation as a Macro Solution

Robert Murphy responds to Mankiw’s argument that we need negative interest rates. He points out that Mankiw’s argument for future inflation is logically equivalent to an instantaneous collapse of prices. Mankiw points out that if prices are sticky, that can’t happen.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 755-760 “Why the Aggregate-Supply Curve Slopes Upward in the Short Run”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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Apr. 22

More on Negative Interest Rates

Mankiw continues the discussion he started on April 18 about the usefulness of negative interest rates.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?”

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Apr. 19

Observations on Negative Interest Rates

Mankiw responds to comments about his April 18 post in favor of negative interest rates.

Textbook References:

Pages 539-541 “Real and Nominal Interest Rates”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-796 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

A Quick Quiz

Take a quiz made up of questions from past AP tests.

Textbook References:

Pages 4-5 “Principle 1: People Face Trade-offs”
Chapter 12 “The Design of the Tax System”
Pages 589-593 “Policy 3: Government Budget Deficits”
Page 614-619 “How is Unemployment Measured?”
Pages 649-653 “Banks and the Money Supply”
Pages 653-656 “The Fed’s Tools of Monetary Control”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”
Pages 742-744 “The Assumptions of Classical Economics”
Pages 749-751 “Why the Aggregate–Demand Curve Might Shift”
Pages 753-755 “Why the Long–Run Aggregate–Supply Curve Might Shift”
Pages 778-787 “How Monetary Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 787-793 “How Fiscal Policy Influences Aggregate Demand”
Pages 793-797 “Using Policy to Stabilize the Economy”
Pages 830-832 “Should Monetary and Fiscal Policymakers Try To Stabilize the Economy?

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Apr. 14

Hall and Woodward on Fed Policy

Robert Hall and Susan Woodward argue that the large increase in bank reserves need not lead to inflation if the Fed adjusts the interest rate paid on reserves properly.

Textbook References:

Chapter 29 “The Monetary System”
Chapter 30 “Money Growth and Inflation”

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Feb. 13

Irving Fisher

There is a link to a story from The Economist about Irving Fisher. It suggests that Fisher’s ideas, especially about debt deflation, are relevant today.

Textbook References:

Pages 654-655 “The Financial Crisis of 2008”

Pages 674-676 “The Fisher Effect”

Page 821 “Bernanke’s Challenges”

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Feb. 11

Deflation Fears Subside

Mankiw presents a graph of bond yields that suggests deflation has become less likely.

Textbook References:

Pages 682-683 “The Wizard of Oz and the Free-Silver Debate”
Pages 835-838 “Should the Central Bank Aim for Zero Inflation?”

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Jan. 13

There is a link to an editorial by Greg Ip that considers the probability of the U.S. government defaulting on its debt.

Textbook References:

Pages 576-577 “The Bond Market”
Pages 591-593 “The History of U.S. Government Debt”
Pages 673-674 “The Inflation Tax”

Dec. 5

Deflation Alert

Mankiw suggests that deflation has become more likely.

Textbook Reference:

Pages 682-683 “The Wizard of Oz and the Free-Silver Debate”
Pages 835-838 “Should the Central Bank Aim for Zero Inflation?”

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Dec. 4

The Case for Inflation

There is a link to an article by Ken Rogoff that argues in favor of more inflation. More inflation would reduce the real value of debt.

Textbook References:

Page 682 “A Special Cost of Unexpected Inflation: Arbitrary Redistributions of Wealth”
Chapter 35 “The Short-Run Trade-off between Inflation and Unemployment”