We argue that an increase in aggregate demand can lead to a reduction in the interest rate.This apparently perverse optimal response of interest rates can occur when the Phillips curve is non-linear. In that case, an increase in aggregate demand tends to increase inflation and output but also to...

We propose a simply yet flexible framework for the analysis of optimal monetary policy rules that produces the type of non-linear responses derived in the literature as special cases. Perhaps more importantly, our framework suggests a richer set of nonlinear responses than have been considered...

This paper argues that the parameters of monetary policy rules affect the persistence of inflation and output. Persistence is lower if monetary policy emphasises the price level or if there is an inflation target. A greater emphasis on output increases persistence. There is a simple New...

We estimate a flexible model of the behaviour of UK monetary policymakers in the era of inflation targeting based on a new representation of policymaker’s preferences. This enables us to address a range of issues that are beyond the scope of the existing literature. We find a complex...

The bulk of literature on real rigidity attempts to identify sources of real rigidity in market imperfections while assuming that the money supply is exogenously set. This paper shows that monetary policy preferences affect the responsiveness of marginal cost to output and through this channel...

This paper estimates a variety of models of inflation using quarterly data for the UK between 1965 and 2001. We find strong evidence that the persistence of inflation is nonlinear and that inflation adjusted more rapidly in periods of macroeconomic stress such as the mid-1970s, the early 1980s...

This paper provides empirical evidence on the response of monetary policymakers to uncertainty. Using data for the UK since the introduction of inflation targets in October 1992, we find that the impact of inflation on interest rates is lower when inflation is more uncertain and is larger when...