I will discuss my experiences with the course "Simulation methods", given several times in the graduate program of the University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona. The main topics of the course are 1) Basic techniques of numerical analysis: nonlinear unconstrained and constrained optimization, nonlinear...

A relevant issue in the procyclicality debate over Basel II is the type of rating which could be preferred from both an individual and an economy-wide point of view in the light of the relation between capital requirements and the business cycle. The objective of the present paper is to evaluate...

While under recursive least squares learning the dynamics of the economy converges to rational expectations equilibria (REE) which are E–stable, some recent examples propose that E–stability is not a sufficient condition for learnability. In this paper, we provide some further...

In this paper, we propose new solutions to the well-known problem of identification of social effects. Manski (1993) showed that endogenous and contextual (or exogenous) social effects cannot, in general, be disentangled in the linear-in-means model. Our main innovation is that we allow...

Motivated by a strong degree of hysteresis in the stock of monetization observed after the end of hyperinflations, I provide a cash-and-credit model in which the use of money exhibits some persistence because individuals can establish long-lasting credit relationships. This feature helps to...

This paper serves two purposes. First, it investigates to what extent a New Keynesian monetary model with the addition of a microfounded, non-Walrasian labor market based on union bargaining is able to replicate key aspects of the business cycle. Second, it explores the influence of this setting...

We examine optimal policy in an open-economy model with uncertainty and learning, where monetary policy actions affect the economy through the real exchange rate channel. Our results show that the degree of caution or activism in optimal policy depends on whether central banks are in coordinated...

Here I consider the dynamics of interest rate processes in the multi-factor model specified in Heath, Jarrow and Morton (1992). Despite its flexibility and theoretical advances, the number of empirical studies using the HJM model remains inadequate, principally because of the difficulty...

The attractiveness of spatial autoregressive models has increased significantly. The awareness of important spatial interactions arose in various fields. In economics, interactions can be due to interdependencies between entities such as states, firms, or consumers. Examples are spatial...

The accuracy of the solution of dynamic general equilibrium models has become a major issue. Recent papers, substituting second order for first order approximations, have shown to obtain significant differences in accuracy. Second order approximations have had some considerable success in...