This paper studies robust Ramsey policy problems in a general discrete-time linearquadratic framework when the Ramsey planner faces three types of ambiguity. This framework includes both exogenous and endogenous state variables. In addition, the equilibrium system from the private sector contains both backward-looking and forward-looking dynamics. We provide recursive characterizations and algo...

A number of cross-country comparisons do not find a robust negative relationship between government size and economic growth. In part this may reflect the prediction in economic theory that a negative relationship should exist primarily for rich countries with large public sectors. In this paper an econometric panel study is conducted on a sample of rich countries covering the 1970–95 period. E...

This paper studies the impact of corporate tax policy on the economy in the presence of both convex and nonconvex capital adjustment costs in a dynamic general equilibrium model. We show that corporate tax policy generates both intensive and extensive margin effects via the channel of marginal Q. Its impact is determined largely by the strength of the extensive margin effect, which in turn depe...

A macro model is developed incorporating the productive e®ects of public expenditure, but also allowing for congestion. The Pigouvian tax rate to correct for the distortion caused by congestion is found and the optimal level of public expenditure is characterized. JEL Classi ̄cation Numbers: E62, H54 Corresponding author: John Bennett, Department of Economics and Finance, Brunel university, Uxbr...

This paper determines optimal public debt in a life cycle model with incomplete markets that matches the empirically observed variation consumption, labor, and savings. We find savings—not debt—equal to 168 percent of output is optimal, primarily due influence on household decision-making. By inducing lower interest rate, savings slow consumption leisure growth over an average household’s lifet...

We study optimal monetary policy in an analytically tractable heterogeneous agent New Keynesian model with rich cross-sectional heterogeneity. Optimal differs from a representative benchmark because can affect consumption inequality, by stabilizing risk arising both idiosyncratic shocks and unequal exposures to aggregate shocks. The trade-off between productive efficiency, price stability is su...

The study of the joint dynamic behavior between stock market returns and real economic growth rates is an important empirical question in finance and macroeconomics. This paper investigates their linkage by proposing a vector autoregressive infinite hidden Markov model. Our model has two advantages over the existing approaches in the literatures. In contrast to Markov switching models with fixe...

In this paper, finite phase semi-Markov processes are introduced. By introducing variables and a simple transformation, every finite phase semi-Markov process can be transformed to a finite Markov chain which is called its associated Markov chain. A consequence of this is that every phase semi-Markovian switching system may be equivalently expressed as its associated Markovian switching system....

This paper investigates whether a regime switching model of stochastic lumber prices is better for the analysis of optimal harvesting problems in forestry than a more traditional single regime model. Prices of lumber derivatives are used to calibrate a regime switching model, with each of two regimes characterized by a different mean reverting process. A single regime, mean reverting process is...

Article history: Received 23 August 2011 Received in revised form 16 April 2012 Accepted 19 April 2012 Available online 5 May 2012 This paper proposes a two-state Markov-switching model for stock market returns in which the state-dependent expected returns, their variance and associated regime-switching dynamics are allowed to respond to market information. More specifically, we apply this mode...