We study the nature of monetary policy in a model where uncertainty can lead to a discrepancy between economic agents' beliefs and true fundamentals. Monetary policy transmits information about fundamentals. The public nature of this information can help agents to coordinate their decisions....

We study a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model where agents are concerned about model uncertainty regarding climate change. An externality from greenhouse gas emissions adversely affects the economys capital stock. We assume that the mapping from climate change to damages is subject to...

We use mechanism design in order to study efficient arrangements when the ability of agents to perform certain welfare-improving transactions is subject to random and unobservable shocks. We study implementation via a payment system that involves assigning balances to participants and optimally...

Emissions trading mechanisms have been proposed, and in some cases implemented, as a tool to reduce pollution. We explore the similarities between emission-trading mechanisms and monetary mechanisms. Both attempt to implement desirable allocations under various frictions, including risk and...

History shows that banks are subject to runs and panics. Researchers disagree, however, about whether runs are contagious: that is, do problems at insolvent banks spread to solvent ones? If runs are contagious, what, if anything, can be done to stop the spread, and what are the implications for...

In this paper, we develop a model of money and reserve-holding banks. We allow for private liabilities to circulate as media of exchange in a random-matching framework. Some individuals, which we identify as banks, are endowed with a technology to issue private notes and to keep reserves with a...

We introduce "lack-of-recall" of past transactions as an alternative assumption to anonymity in a model where trade is centralized. In environments where there is an intertemporal lack-of-double-coincidence of wants problem and lack-of-commitment, lack-of-recall can give rise to monetary...