In this paper, the problem of why low-purchasing power silver coins depreciated relative to high-purchasing power gold coins is examined. The standard explanation by Sargent and Velde is refuted. It is argued that the relative stability of gold was due to the demand from consumers able to detect...

The objective of this paper is to analyze the effects of alternative monetary rules on realexchange rate persistence. Using a two-country stochastic dynamic general equilibrium withnominal price stickiness and local currency pricing, we will show how the persistence ofpurchasing power parity...

This study analyzes a two-country dynamic general equilibrium model with nominal rigidities,monopolistic competition and producer currency pricing. A quadratic approximation to the utility ofthe consumers is derived and assumed as the policy objective function of the policymakers.It is shown...

When economists study incentives in organizations,the main focus has been on using monetary paymentsin exchange for performance on specific measurabledimensions. But organizations use a wide varietyof means to motivate their workers. One suchmethod which has not been studied much to date, isthe...

A striking fact about pricing is the prevalence of \sales": large temporary price cuts followedby prices returning exactly to their former levels. This paper builds a macroeconomic modelwith a rationale for sales based on firms facing customers with different price sensitivities.Even if firms...

In a country with high probability of default, higher interest rates may render the currency lessattractive if sovereign default is costly. This paper develops that intuition in a simple model andestimates the effect of changes in interest rates on the exchange rate in Brazil using data from...