Structural DSGE models are used for analyzing both policy and the sources of business cycles. Conclusions based on full structural models are, however, potentially affected by misspecification. A competing method is to use partially identified SVARs based on narrative shocks. This paper asks...

This article employs a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium framework to examine asymmetric information and limited contract enforcement in financial markets, where firms have access to both internal and external sources of finance. It considers limited enforcement of financial contract in the...

Optimal fiscal policy is expected to behave in a countercyclical manner to stabilize economies during business cycles. In particular, the public expenditure-to-GDP ratio should go up during recessions and down during expansions, while the public revenues-to-GDP ratio should move in the opposite...

Die fortschreitende Corona-Epidemie schockiert die Weltwirtschaft. In den kommenden Monaten werden viele Länder voraussichtlich deutliche konjunkturelle Einbrüche erleiden. Absperrungen ganzer Regionen führen zu einem Ausfall der Produktion, zu einer Unterbrechung der Lieferketten und zu...

Die Konjunktur wird durch die Ausbreitung des Corona-Virus weltweit erheblich belastet. Prognosen zur Wirtschaftsentwicklung sind angesichts der schlechten Datenlage, der Modellunsicherheit und der Ungewissheit über die politische Reaktion mit noch größerer Unsicherheit behaftet als üblich....

Bis zum Jahresende 2020 will die Europäische Zentralbank (EZB) die Ergebnisse ihrer aktuellen Strategieüberprüfung vorlegen. Welche Änderungen sind zu erwarten und was wäre wünschenswert? Der vorliegende Bericht beschäftigt sich mit zwei Bereichen der Überprüfung. Erstens werden...

We develop a theory of endogenous and stochastic fluctuations in economic activity. Individual firms choose to randomize over firing or keeping workers who performed poorly in the past to give them an ex-ante incentive to exert effort. Different firms choose to correlate the outcome of their...

This paper studies the role of the exchange rate regime for trade of new products. It first provides VAR evidence that a rise in external productivity shifts trade away from new products and more so in fixed regimes. Then, it presents a model with firm dynamics in line with this evidence. We...

The ongoing corona pandemic is causing a major shock to the global economy. In the coming months, many countries are expected to suffer severe economic downturns. Sealing off entire regions disrupts supply chains, resulting in production losses and falls in consumption. The global economy is...

The spread of the coronavirus worldwide is exerting considerable pressure on the economy. Compounded by the lack of quality data, model uncertainty, and uncertainty over government responses, economic forecasts are subject to even greater uncertainty than usual. It is difficult to predict how...