Li Qin
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 241
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This thesis analyze the conduct of monetary policy in the presence of uncertainty. By adopting the framework proposed by Hansen and Sargent (2003), we analyze the behaviors of monetary authorities and private agents when faced with various sources of uncertainty, as well as their consequences in terms of macroeconomic performances. Our work shows that, in order to guard against the possibly catastrophic results of the worst-case scenario, central bankers have to react in an active manner, by manipulating the interest rate. However, in an open economy, the magnitude of this adjustment decreases with the degree of openness. Also, greater transparency of the central bank's objectives, by reducing preference uncertainty, will attenuate the variations of macroeconomic variables that follow the consideration of possible erroneous specifications. It is thus advisable to reveal informations about the central bankers' preferences, including their own estimates of the degree of model uncertainty.