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Expectations

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Full-Text Articles in Economics

Economic Anomalies Following The Handover Of Hong Kong, Nathan Martin May 2024

Economic Anomalies Following The Handover Of Hong Kong, Nathan Martin

Economics Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to examine and provide a possible explanation for economic anomalies in Hong Kong following its handover to China. Hong Kong was on a 99-year lease to the United Kingdom from China before being handed back over July 1st, 1997. Due to the “one country, two systems” policy espoused in the handover agreement that was to be implemented for fifty years, this event marks a rare natural experiment of a peaceful regime change without a significant change in governance. This paper seeks to understand the impact of the act of regime change on selected key macroeconomic …


Mmt And Policy Assignment In An Open Economy Context: Simplicity Is Useful, Oversimpliflication Not So Much, Arslan Razmi Jan 2022

Mmt And Policy Assignment In An Open Economy Context: Simplicity Is Useful, Oversimpliflication Not So Much, Arslan Razmi

Economics Department Working Paper Series

Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has recently received significant attention in academic and policy circles. Critics question the sustainability of MMT-prescribed approaches to fiscal and monetary policy, especially over extended periods of time, in the presence of international financial markets, and for developing country governments that borrow in foreign currency. I formalize some of these arguments using a dynamic, open economy, Tobin-Markowitz portfolio balance environment that takes into account: (1) the role of expectations in the foreign exchange market and the feedback mechanisms between these and the exchange rate and inflation, and (2) interactions between the current account, debt accumulation, and …


The Influence Of Learning And Price-Level Targeting On Central Bank Forward Guidance, Stephen J. Cole Sep 2020

The Influence Of Learning And Price-Level Targeting On Central Bank Forward Guidance, Stephen J. Cole

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

This paper examines how the effectiveness of central bank forward guidance depends on two key channels: the expectations formation process and the monetary policy regime. The results show that rational expectations relative to an adaptive learning rule amplifies the positive benefits a price-level targeting central bank creates for forward guidance. Specifically, forward guidance generates greater amounts of output and inflation under a price-level than inflation targeting monetary policy regime, but rational expectations overstates these positive benefits compared to adaptive learning. The different responses of expectations between rational expectations and adaptive learning to forward guidance are driving this performance gap. Thus, …


(Wp 2020-03) The Effect Of Central Bank Credibility On Forward Guidance In An Estimated New Keynesian Model, Stephen J. Cole, Enrique Martínez-García May 2020

(Wp 2020-03) The Effect Of Central Bank Credibility On Forward Guidance In An Estimated New Keynesian Model, Stephen J. Cole, Enrique Martínez-García

Economics Working Papers

This paper examines the effectiveness of forward guidance in an estimated New Keynesian model with imperfect central bank credibility. We estimate credibility for the U.S. Federal Reserve with Bayesian methods exploiting survey data on interest rate expectations from the Survey of Professional Forecasters (SPF). The results provide important takeaways: (1) The estimate of Federal Reserve credibility in terms of for- ward guidance announcements is relatively high, which indicates a degree of forward guidance effectiveness, but still one that is below the fully credible case. Hence, anticipation effects are attenuated and, accordingly, output and inflation do not respond as favorably to …


Does Meeting Expectations Of Relative Income Improve Well-Being?, Justin Tyler Stevens Jan 2019

Does Meeting Expectations Of Relative Income Improve Well-Being?, Justin Tyler Stevens

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent years economists began studying subjective well-being thoroughly, and often find a certain set of variables affect subjective well-being. Relative income is one variable which is regularly found to strongly influence subjective well-being in many different settings around the world. This study investigates whether or not meeting one’s expectations for relative income change affects subjective well-being by taking advantage of individual level panel survey data from South Africa. A fixed effects model is used to eliminate unobservable fixed effects and estimate the effect of moving from the ‘met expectations’ category in time period one, to ‘below expectations’ or ‘above …


Four Essays On A Student's Expectation That They Will Complete College, Martin Gray Hunter Jan 2017

Four Essays On A Student's Expectation That They Will Complete College, Martin Gray Hunter

Theses and Dissertations--Economics

It has been common practice in the economics literature to utilize data on observed outcomes and negate what individuals believe or expect will happen in the future. Using responses to a unique set of questions in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) I show that the literature could benefit in several ways by incorporating such data. The leading essay documents a positive association between a student's subjective probabilistic belief that they will complete a four-year college degree and whether or not they attend and complete college. The results indicate the following. First, although overconfident, individuals as young as …


(Wp 2016-02) The Limits Of Central Bank Forward Guidance Under Learning, Stephen J. Cole Mar 2016

(Wp 2016-02) The Limits Of Central Bank Forward Guidance Under Learning, Stephen J. Cole

Economics Working Papers

Central bank forward guidance emerged as a pertinent tool for monetary policymakers since the Great Recession. Nevertheless, the effects of forward guidance remain unclear. This paper investigates the effectiveness of forward guidance while relaxing two standard macroeconomic assumptions: rational expectations and frictionless financial markets. Agents forecast future macroeconomic variables via either the rational expectations hypothesis or a more plausible theory of expectations formation called adaptive learning. A standard Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium (DSGE) model is extended to include the financial accelerator mechanism. The results show that the addition of financial frictions amplifies the differences between rational expectations and adaptive learning …


Consumer Confidence Indicators And Economic Fluctuations In Nigeria, Adamu Ibrahim, Sani Bawa, Ismaila S. Abdullahi, Chizoba E. Didigu, Sani S. Mainasara Jun 2015

Consumer Confidence Indicators And Economic Fluctuations In Nigeria, Adamu Ibrahim, Sani Bawa, Ismaila S. Abdullahi, Chizoba E. Didigu, Sani S. Mainasara

CBN Journal of Applied Statistics (JAS)

Consumer confidence indicators(CCI) serve as a veritable tool for providing useful information to policy makers, forecasters and the general public. Recent studies indicated the possibility of a slowdown in output, resulting from the pessimism of consumers in their expectations about the general state of the economy, even if their pessimism were not based on economic fundamentals. This study evaluated the predictive ability of the CCI in forecasting economic fluctuations in Nigeria. The study applied the Granger Causality tests, impulse response functions and forecast error variance decomposition to assess if CCI granger causes output growth as well as ascertain the magnitude …


An Experimental Analysis Of Adaptive Learning In A Multi-Subject Economy, David Martin Apr 2015

An Experimental Analysis Of Adaptive Learning In A Multi-Subject Economy, David Martin

Business and Economics Honors Papers

The rational expectations hypothesis (REH) has long served as a foundation in macroeconomic laws of motion. However, the assumptions of REH are likely too powerful to be representative of economic actors. This research evaluates adaptive learning, a developing alternative to rational expectations, using a multi-agent macroeconomic prediction “game.” Data was gathered from a group of students, each predicting the outcome of a single economy over time. Each agent was asked to forecast output (GDP) and inflation in each period based on historic levels of output, inflation, and interest rates. These data were then analyzed under various theoretical models of adaptive …


Promises And Expectations, Florian Ederer, Alexander Stremitzer Dec 2013

Promises And Expectations, Florian Ederer, Alexander Stremitzer

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We investigate why people keep their promises in the absence of external enforcement mechanisms and reputational effects. In a controlled laboratory experiment we show that exogenous variation of second-order expectations (promisors’ expectations about promisees’ expectations that the promise will be kept) leads to a significant change in promisor behavior. We provide clean evidence that a promisor’s aversion to disappointing a promisee’s expectation leads her to keep her promise. We propose a simple theory of lexicographic promise keeping that is supported by our results and nests the findings of previous contributions as special cases.


Promises And Expectations, Florian Ederer, Alexander Stremitzer Dec 2013

Promises And Expectations, Florian Ederer, Alexander Stremitzer

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

We investigate why people keep their promises in the absence of external enforcement mechanisms and reputational effects. In a controlled laboratory experiment we show that exogenous variation of second-order expectations (promisors’ expectations about promisees’ expectations) leads to a significant change in promisor behavior. We provide evidence that a promisor’s aversion to disappointing a promisee’s expectation leads her to behave more generously. We propose and estimate a simple model of conditional guilt aversion that is supported by our results and nests the findings of previous contributions as special cases.


(Ir)Rational Exuberance: Optimism, Ambiguity And Risk, Anat Bracha, Donald J. Brown Jun 2013

(Ir)Rational Exuberance: Optimism, Ambiguity And Risk, Anat Bracha, Donald J. Brown

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The equilibrium prices in asset markets, as stated by Keynes (1930): “…will be fixed at the point at which the sales of the bears and the purchases of the bulls are balanced.” We propose a descriptive theory of finance explicating Keynes’ claim that the prices of assets today equilibrate the optimism and pessimism of bulls and bears regarding the payoffs of assets tomorrow. This equilibration of optimistic and pessimistic beliefs of investors is a consequence of investors maximizing Keynesian utilities subject to budget constraints defined by market prices and investor’s income. The set of Keynesian utilities is a new class …


2013-2 The Fisher Relation In The Great Depression And The Great Recession, David Laidler Jan 2013

2013-2 The Fisher Relation In The Great Depression And The Great Recession, David Laidler

Economic Policy Research Institute. EPRI Working Papers

No abstract provided.


The Role Of Expectations: An Application To Internal Migration, Robert Baumann, Justin Svec, Francis Sanzari Dec 2012

The Role Of Expectations: An Application To Internal Migration, Robert Baumann, Justin Svec, Francis Sanzari

Economics Department Working Papers

This paper examines the impact of unemployment on migration. In a theoretical model, we show that unemployment, per se, does not affect migration. Rather, migration only occurs when unemployment shocks force residents to update their expectations of the area's unemployment rate. Once these expectations change, migration reallocates labor to bring the economy back to equilibrium. To test this theory, we devise an empirical strategy using state level data in the U.S. from 2000 to 2010, we find strong empirical evidence that unemployment shocks outside of expectations have a far greater impact on migration than unemployment shocks that are within expectations.


Uncertainty And Identity: A Post Keynesian Approach, John B. Davis Apr 2010

Uncertainty And Identity: A Post Keynesian Approach, John B. Davis

Economics Faculty Research and Publications

Marshall’s asset equilibrium model provides a way of
explaining the identity of entrepreneurs. Keynes adopted this model but
transformed it when he emphasized the short-period and volatile
character of long-term expectations. This entails a view of entrepreneur
identity in which radical uncertainty plays a central role. This in turn
deepens the post Keynesian view of uncertainty as ontological in that
entrepreneurs’ survival plays into their behavior. This paper explores
this role-based view of individual identity and uses the analysis to
comment on Keynes’s ideas for the socialization of investment and
euthanasia of the rentier in the last chapter of The …


Overlapping Generations Models Of General Equilibrium, John Geanakoplos May 2008

Overlapping Generations Models Of General Equilibrium, John Geanakoplos

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The OLG model of Allais and Samuelson retains the methodological assumptions of agent optimization and market clearing from the Arrow-Debreu model, yet its equilibrium set has different properties: Pareto inefficiency, indeterminacy, positive valuation of money, and a golden rule equilibrium in which the rate of interest is equal to population growth (independent of impatience). These properties are shown to derive not from market incompleteness, but from lack of market clearing “at infinity;” they can be eliminated with land or uniform impatience. The OLG model is used to analyze bubbles, social security, demographic effects on stock returns, the foundations of monetary …


Valuation Ratios And The Long-Run Stock Market Outlook: An Update, John Y. Campbell, Robert J. Shiller Mar 2001

Valuation Ratios And The Long-Run Stock Market Outlook: An Update, John Y. Campbell, Robert J. Shiller

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

The use of price–earnings ratios and dividend-price ratios as forecasting variables for the stock market is examined using aggregate annual US data 1871 to 2000 and aggregate quarterly data for twelve countries since 1970. Various simple efficient-markets models of financial markets imply that these ratios should be useful in forecasting future dividend growth, future earnings growth, or future productivity growth. We conclude that, overall, the ratios do poorly in forecasting any of these. Rather, the ratios appear to be useful primarily in forecasting future stock price changes, contrary to the simple efficient-markets models. This paper is an update of our …


Econometric Estimation Of Foresight: Tax Policy And Investment In The U.S., Douglas G. Steigerwald, Charles Stuart Dec 1996

Econometric Estimation Of Foresight: Tax Policy And Investment In The U.S., Douglas G. Steigerwald, Charles Stuart

Douglas G. Steigerwald

We develop a method for measuring the foresight agents have. We first dichotomize an agent's information at current date t into knowledge up to date t+f and expectations after t+f. We then form a residual-based test statistic that allows us to compare prediction errors for econometric models based on different values of f. We illustrate the method, examining investment around tax reforms to measure the foresight firms have about tax policy. In this illustration, current investment appears to reflect currently available information but little foresight other than foresight of enacted policy changes.


Expanding The Scope Of Expectations Data Collection: The U.S. And Japanese Stock Markets, Robert J. Shiller, Fumiko Kon-Ya, Yoshiro Tsutsui Mar 1992

Expanding The Scope Of Expectations Data Collection: The U.S. And Japanese Stock Markets, Robert J. Shiller, Fumiko Kon-Ya, Yoshiro Tsutsui

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

A pilot effort was undertaken to experiment with a method of collecting parallel time series data for expectations and popular models and theories of institutional stock market participants in the United States and Japan 1989-91, covering the period before and after the dramatic and sudden halving of Japanese stock prices. Substantial variability within countries through time in the responses and dramatic differences across countries in expectations (even expectations for the same country) were found. There are significant research opportunities in expanded data collection along these lines.


Inflationary Expectations And Price Setting Behavior, Ray C. Fair Sep 1989

Inflationary Expectations And Price Setting Behavior, Ray C. Fair

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

This paper tests for the existence of expectational effects in very disaggregate price equations. Price equations are estimated using monthly data for each of 40 products. The dynamic specification of the equations is also tested, including whether the equations should be specified in level form or in change form. Two expectational hypotheses are used, one in which expectations of the aggregate price level and one in which expectations are rational. Under the first hypothesis the lag length is estimated along with the other parameters, and under the second hypothesis the lead length is estimated along with the other parameters. The …


The Use Of Expected Future Variables In Macroeconometric Models, Ray C. Fair Aug 1984

The Use Of Expected Future Variables In Macroeconometric Models, Ray C. Fair

Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers

A more sophisticated expectational hypothesis than is traditionally used in the specification of macroeconometric models is tested in this paper. Economic agents are assumed to use a vector of variables Z t in forming their expectations for periods t + 1 and beyond. These expectations may or may not be rational in the Muth sense. The results provide some evidence in favor of the more sophisticated hypothesis, but they are not strong enough to allow much weight to be put on the hypothesis as yet. The evidence in favor of the hypothesis is strongest for households’ response to future wages …