This Selected Issues paper analyzes the key features of the Japanese business cycle, and investigates whether the current recovery differs from past recoveries. In particular, this paper poses the following questions: what are the main characteristics of Japanese business cycles since 1980, and...

Using panel data for a large number of countries, we find that economic contractions are not followed by offsetting fast recoveries. Trend output lost is not regained, on average. Wars, crises, and other negative shocks lead to absolute divergence and lower long-run growth, whereas we find...

We investigate business cycle asymmetries in the real GDP of eleven selected Asian economies using nonlinear switching time series models and artificial neural networks. Results based on neural network linearity tests show evidence of business cycle asymmetries in all series. Results based on...