Discussion paper

DP12837 Real interest rates, exchange rates and the ZLB: on Secular Stagnation

What are the drivers of low real rates? What are the implications of the Zero Lower Bound for economic policy? To discuss these questions, we introduce a full general equilibrium model of the world economy within a simple (2 period) intertemporal structure. The model is simple enough to allow for full analytical solution yet sufficiently complex to allow us to address the impact of anticipated future productivity slow down, aging, structural reform and fiscal policy on real interest rates if markets clear and on aggregate economic activity if they do not (because of the ZLB). We extend both the equilibrium model and the ZLB variant to a more-goods-per-period structure to address (real) exchange rate policy and the macroeconomic impact of trade tariffs, like Trump's current trade war, on global economic activity.

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Citation

van Wijnbergen, S (2018), ‘DP12837 Real interest rates, exchange rates and the ZLB: on Secular Stagnation‘, CEPR Discussion Paper No. 12837. CEPR Press, Paris & London. https://cepr.org/publications/dp12837