Real Expectations: Replacing Rational Expectations with Survey Expectations in Dynamic Macro Models Jeff Fuhrer Abstract: This paper examines the implications of changing the expectations assumption that is embedded in nearly all current macroeconomic models. The paper substitutes measured or “real” expectations for rational expectations in an array of standard macroeconomic relationships, as w...

The predictive likelihood is useful for ranking models in forecast comparison exercises using Bayesian inference. We discuss how it can be estimated, by means of marginalization, for any subset of the observables in linear Gaussian state-space models. We compare macroeconomic density forecasts for the euro area of a DSGE model to those of a DSGE-VAR, a BVAR, and a multivariate random walk over ...

This study explores three alternative econometric interpretations of dynamic, stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. Under a strong econometric interpretation, these models provide likelihood functions for observed sequences of prices and quantities. Given this interpretation, most DSGE models are rejected using classical econometrics and assigned zero probability in a Bayesian approach....

Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest in DSGE modelling for predicting macroeconomic ‡uctuations and conducting quantitative policy analysis. Hybrid DSGE models have become popular for dealing with some of the DSGE misspeci…cations as they are able to solve the tradeo¤ between theoretical coherence and empirical …t. However, these models are still linear and they do not con...

DSGE models are designed to mimic only certain aspects of reality, usually speci…ed moments of observable data. They typically have other implications that are clearly false and lead to their immediate rejection if taken literally. Widely used calibration exercises compare the implications of DSGE models for the distribution of speci…ed sample moments with the corresponding data. This paper sho...

This paper tests the ability of popular New Keynesian models, which are traditionally used to study monetary policy and business cycles, to match the data regarding a key channel for monetary transmission: the dynamic interactions between macroeconomic variables and their corresponding expectations. In the empirical analysis, we exploit direct data on expectations from surveys. To explain the j...

This paper is intended to be pedagogical rather than a presentation of original research. We describe a simple dynamic, stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with capital utilization, capital adjustment costs, and a simple Cobb-Douglas technology to illustrate how DSGE models can be used to explain the past and to forecast the future. We identify one method to directly estimate latent var...

Advanced Bayesian methods are employed in estimating dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. Although policymakers and practitioners are particularly interested in DSGE models, these are typically too stylized to be taken directly to the data and often yield weak prediction results. Hybrid models can deal with some of the DSGE model misspeci…cations. Major advances in Bayesian est...