This paper examines the concept of inflation persistence in macroeconomic theory. It begins with a definition of persistence, emphasizing the difference between reduced-form and structural persistence. It then examines a number of empirical measures of reduced-form persistence, considering the...

This paper assesses the importance of the zero lower bound on nominal interest rates for the interest-rate channel of monetary policy. We simulate several interest-rate setting policy rules with either high or low inflation targets. We determine the extent to which the zero bound prevents real...

I estimate the inflation/output-gap variance trade-off faced by monetary policymakers in the U.S. For policymakers who care about deviations of inflation around target and output around potential, the estimated trade-off represents the "optimal policy frontier." Given the structure of the...