We use a novel procedure to identify fiscal feedback rules for the US: We start by estimating a DSGE model and on that basis compute the Ramsey optimal responses to structural shocks. Then we let the policy maker choose from a general set of rules to match the dynamic behavior of a number of key...

This paper shows how to identify the structural shocks of a Vector Autore-gression (VAR) while at the same time estimating a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model that is not assumed to replicate the data generating process. It proposes a framework to estimate the parameters of the...

Does fiscal policy have qualitatively different effects on the economy in a liquidity trap? We analyze a nonlinear stochastic New Keynesian model and compare the true and loglinearized equilibria. Using the loglinearized equilibrium conditions, the answer to the above question is yes. However,...

Cyclically induced changes in taxes and government expenditures which tend to stabilise aggregate output are called automatic stabilisers. Using a small macro model, this paper reviews alternative methods of measuring the smoothing power of automatic stabilisers and discusses their relationship...