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American Economic Review: Vol. 95 No. 1 (March 2005)

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The Case for Open-Market Purchases in a Liquidity Trap

Article Citation

Auerbach, Alan J., and Maurice Obstfeld. 2005. "The Case for Open-Market Purchases in a Liquidity Trap." The American Economic Review, 95(1): 110-137.

DOI: 10.1257/0002828053828473

Abstract

Prevalent thinking about liquidity traps suggests that the perfect substitutability of money and bonds at a zero short-term nominal interest rate renders open-market operations ineffective for achieving macroeconomic stabilization goals. We show that even were this the case, there remains a powerful argument for large-scale open market operations as a fiscal policy tool. As we also demonstrate, however, this same reasoning implies that open-market operations will be beneficial for stabilization as well, even when the economy is expected to remain mired in a liquidity trap for some time. Thus, the microeconomic fiscal benefits of open-market operations in a liquidity trap go hand in hand with standard macroeconomic objectives. Motivated by Japan's recent economic experience, we use a dynamic general-equilibrium model to assess the welfare impact of open-market operations for an economy in Japan's predicament. We argue Japan can achieve a substantial welfare improvement through large open-market purchases of domestic government debt.

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Authors

Auerbach, Alan J.
Obstfeld, Maurice


American Economic Review



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