Countercyclical versus Procyclical Taylor Principles

Assuming inflation is a forward variable in Taylor (1999) model, this paper finds opposite policy rule recommendations with countercyclical policy rule parameters (Taylor principle: inflation rule larger than one and bounded upwards) in the case of optimal policy under commitment versus procyclical policy rule parameters (inflation rule parameter below zero) in the case of discretionary policy. For the observed high inertia of the Fed with variations of the nominal policy rate within the range [0%,4%] during the great moderation, the cost of time-inconsistency is negligible for optimal policy. Time-inconsistency cannot be the ultimate argument to reject countercyclical Taylor principle