Aggregate Supply and the Short-run Tradeoff Between Inflation and Unemployment

Chapter 13-7th and 14-8th edition

We will cover…

models of aggregate supply in which output depends positively on the price level in the short run Two models presented in the book

the short-run tradeoff between inflation and unemployment known as the Phillips curve

Three models of aggregate supply

1. The sticky-price model

2. The imperfect-information model

3. The sticky-wage model (not in the book)

All three models imply:

( )eY Y P P

natural rate of output

a positive parameter

the expected price level

the actual price level

agg. output

Summary & implications

Y

P LRAS

Y

SRAS

( )eY Y P P

eP P

eP P

eP P

is Full Employment output from chapter 3 assumingperfect competition and flexible wages and prices.

Y

Summary & implications

Y

P LRAS

Y

SRAS

( )eY Y P P

eP P

Note: curvature matters and slope!

VSRAS

The sticky-price model: Reasons for sticky prices:

long-term contracts between firms and customers

menu costs firms not wishing to annoy customers with

frequent price changes

Assumption: monopolistic competition. Firms have the ability to set their own prices.

The sticky-price model: An individual firm’s desired price (p) is:

Where: P is the overall price level and a > 0.

Higher P means that firm’s costs are likely to be high. So, higher P means that firm will want to have a higher price itself.

Also, a booming economy raises the demand for firm’s product, marginal cost rises at higher levels of production, so higher demand raises individual firm’s desired price.

p P a Y Y ( )

The sticky-price model:Suppose two types of firms:• firms with flexible prices, set prices as above:

• firms with sticky prices that must set their price before they know how P and Y will turn out:

p EP a EY EY ( )

p P a Y Y ( )

• Assume sticky-price firms expect that output will equal its natural rate. Then,

p EP

The sticky-price model

To derive the aggregate supply curve, first find an expression for the overall price level.

s = fraction of firms with sticky prices.

Then, we can write the overall price level as…

The sticky-price model

Solve for P:

price set by flexible-price firms

price set by sticky-price firms

Divide both sides by s:

1 [ ] ( )[ ( )]P s EP s P a Y Y

1 [ ] ( )[ ( )]sP s EP s a Y Y

1

( )( )

s aP EP Y Y

s

The sticky-price model

• High EP High PWhen firms expect high prices, then firms that must set prices in advance will set them high.Other firms respond by setting high prices too.

High Y High P When income is high, the demand for goods is high. Firms with flexible prices set high prices. The greater the fraction of flexible-price firms, the smaller is s and the bigger the effect of Y on P.

1

( )( )

s aP EP Y Y

s

The sticky-price model

Finally, derive AS equation by solving for Y :

( ),Y Y P EP

01

where ( )

s

s a

1

( )( )

s aP EP Y Y

s

Over sufficiently long periods, all firms should be able to adjust their prices

So in long run, s = 0 and should have no relationship between P and Y : LRAS vertical at

Would also be case in “short run" if α = 0Y

The imperfect-information model

Assumptions: All wages and prices are perfectly flexible,

all markets are clear. (drops the assumption of imperfect competition)

Each supplier produces one good, consumes many goods.

Each supplier knows the nominal price of the good she produces, but does not know the overall price level.

The imperfect-information model, also called the Misperceptions Theory

The price of bread is the baker's nominal wage; the price of bread relative to the general price level is the baker's real wage. If the relative price of bread rises, the baker may work more and produce more bread.

If the baker can't observe the general price level as easily as the price of bread, he or she must estimate the relative price of bread

If the price of bread rises 5% and the baker thinks inflation is 5%, there's no change in the relative price of bread, so there's no change in the baker's labor supply

But suppose the baker expects the general price level to rise by 5%, but sees the price of bread rising by 8%; then the baker will work more in response to the wage increase

Example: A bakery that makes bread

With many producers thinking this way, if everyone expects prices to increase 5% but they actually increase 8%, they'll work more

So an increase in the price level that is higher than expected induces people to work more and thus increases the economy's output

Similarly, an increase in the price level that is lower than expected reduces output

Generalizing this example

What shifts the curves?

Change in Pe

Change in Y-bar

( )eY Y P P

( )eY Y P P

Summary & implications

Suppose a positive AD shock moves output above its natural rate (to Y2) and P above the level people had expected (to P2)

Y

P LRAS

SRAS1

SRAS equation: eY Y P P ( )

1 1eP P

AD1

AD22eP

2P3 3

eP P

Over time, P

e rises, SRAS shifts up,and output returns to its natural rate.

1Y Y 2Y3Y

SRAS2

Imperfect Information - Misperceptions Theory and the Non-neutrality of Money

Monetary policy and the misperceptions theory Because of misperceptions, unanticipated

monetary policy has real effects; but anticipated monetary policy has no real effects because there are no misperceptions

The previous slide showed the effect of an unanticipated change in the money supply.

An unanticipated increase in the money supply (same as 2 slides prior)

Monetary policy and the misperceptions theory

Initial equilibrium where AD1 intersects SRAS1 and LRAS (point E) Unanticipated increase in money supply shifts AD

curve to AD2

The price level rises to P2 and output rises above its full-employment level, so money isn't neutral

As people get information about the true price level, their expectations change, and the SRAS curve shifts left to SRAS2, with output returning to its full-employment level

So, unanticipated monetary policy isn't neutral in the short run, but it is neutral in the long run

The Misperceptions Theory and the Nonneutrality of Money

Monetary policy and the misperceptions theory Anticipated changes in the money supply

If people anticipate the change in the money supply and thus in the price level, they aren't fooled, there are no misperception, and the SRAS curve shifts immediately to its higher level

So anticipated monetary is neutral in both the short run and the long run

An anticipated increase in the money supply – go directly from P1 to P3 - directly from point E to H.

Inflation, Unemployment, and the Phillips Curve

25

5½ % = zero inflation

26

5½ %

Unemployment and Inflation: Is There a Trade-off?

Many people think there is a trade-off between inflation and unemployment In the 1960’s such a trade-off existed. This

suggested that policymakers could choose the combination of unemployment and inflation they most desired

But the relationship fell apart in the following three decades

The 1970s were a particularly bad period, with both high inflation and high unemployment, inconsistent with the Phillips curve

Inflation and unemployment in the United States, 1970-2005

Inflation, Unemployment, and the Phillips Curve

The Phillips curve states that depends on: expected inflation,

e.

cyclical unemployment: the deviation of the actual rate of unemployment from the natural rate

supply shocks, (Greek letter “nu”).

where > 0 is an exogenous constant.

The Phillips Curve is derived from the SRAS

(1) ( )eY Y P P

(2) (1 )( )eP P Y Y

1 1(4) ( ) ( ) (1 )( )eP P P P Y Y

(5) (1 )( )e Y Y

(6) (1 )( ) ( )nY Y u u

(7) ( )e nu u

(3) (1 )( )eP P Y Y

The Phillips Curve and SRAS

SRAS curve: Output is related to unexpected movements in the price level.

Phillips curve: Unemployment is related to unexpected movements in the inflation rate.

SRAS: ( )eY Y P P

Phillips curve: e nu u ( )

How are expectations about inflation formed? Adaptive expectations

Adaptive expectations: an approach that assumes people form their expectations of future inflation based on recently observed inflation.

A simple example: Expected inflation = last year’s actual inflation

1 ( )nu u

1e

Then, the Phillips Curve becomes

Inflation inertia

In this form, the Phillips curve implies that inflation has inertia:

In the absence of supply shocks or cyclical unemployment, inflation will continue indefinitely at its current rate: π = π-1

Past inflation influences expectations of current inflation, which in turn influences the wages & prices that people set.

1 ( )nu u

Two causes of rising & falling inflation

cost-push inflation: inflation resulting from supply shocksAdverse supply shocks typically raise production costs and induce firms to raise prices, “pushing” inflation up.

demand-pull inflation: inflation resulting from demand shocksPositive shocks to aggregate demand cause unemployment to fall below its natural rate, which “pulls” the inflation rate up.

1 ( )nu u

Graphing the Phillips curve

In the short run, policymakers face a tradeoff between and u.

In the short run, policymakers face a tradeoff between and u.

u

nu

1

The short-run Phillips curvee

Here, the “short run” is the period until people adjust their expectations of inflation

Shifting the Phillips curve

People adjust their expectations over time, so the tradeoff only holds in the short run.

People adjust their expectations over time, so the tradeoff only holds in the short run.

u

nu

1e

2e

E.g., an increase

in e shifts the short-run Phillips Curve upward.

E.g., an increase

in e shifts the short-run Phillips Curve upward.

THE COST OF REDUCING INFLATION• To reduce inflation, an economy must endure a

period of high unemployment and low output.

• When the Fed combats inflation, the economy moves down the short-run Phillips curve.

• The economy experiences lower inflation but at the cost of higher unemployment.

Example:• Consider an economy in which inflation has been steady at

13 percent per year for several years.

• Assume firms and households form their expectations on the basis of past experience (adaptive or backward-looking expectations), everyone will expect inflation for the coming year to be 13 percent.

• Thus, labor negotiations will ensure a 13 percent rise in wages. Firms expect their input costs to rise by 13 percent so they will raise their prices by 13 percent as well.

• The Fed must be increasing the money supply 13 percent per year as well.

Example

In this scenario, inflation has no effect on output or employment: Both will be the same as in a noninflationary economy where everyone expects an inflation rate of zero.

In both scenarios inflation has no effect on relative prices. The economy will tend to produce at full employment output and the unemployment rate will gravitate toward the natural rate.

Now, suppose the Fed wishes to break this cost-price spiral and bring down the rate of inflation.

The only way to induce firms to raise prices by less than 13 percent is to create a situation where they are unable to sell their output at currently planned prices.

Example: Similarly, the only way to induce workers to accept less

than a 13 percent rise in their wages is to create excess supply in the labor market, so that competition for scarce jobs will lead to a slower rate of wage growth.

Create a recession!!!

To create the recession, the Fed simply needs to cut the growth rate of the money supply below 13 percent. Initially, with prices still rising at 13 percent, the demand for money will be rising faster than the supply of money causing the interest rate to rise and investment to fall.

The result is a decline in aggregate expenditure and a decline in output, together with a slowing down of wage and price increases.

The Volcker Disinflation

When Paul Volcker became Fed chairman in 1979, inflation was widely viewed as one of the nation’s foremost problems.

Volcker succeeded in reducing inflation (from 10 percent to 4 percent), but at the cost of high employment (about 10 percent in 1983).

The Volcker Disinflation: 1979 - 1987

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6

8

10

UnemploymentRate (percent)

Inflation Rate

(percent per year)

1980 1981

1982

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1979A

1983B

1987

C

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The Volcker Disinflation

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6

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10

UnemploymentRate (percent)

Inflation Rate

(percent per year)

1980 1981

1982

1984

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1979A

1983B

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Copyright © 2004 South-Western

SRPC1

SRPC2

SRPC3

SRPC4

The Greenspan Era

Alan Greenspan’s term as Fed chairman (1987) began with a favorable supply shock.

In 1986, OPEC members abandoned their agreement to restrict supply.

This led to falling inflation and falling unemployment.

The Greenspan Era

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2

4

6

8

10

UnemploymentRate (percent)

Inflation Rate(percent per year)

19841991

1985

19921986

19931994

198819871995

199620021998

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Copyright © 2004 South-Western

Rational Expectations and the Possibility of Costless Disinflation

Expected inflation explains why there is a tradeoff between inflation and unemployment in the short run but not in the long run.

How quickly the short-run tradeoff disappears depends on how quickly expectations adjust.

The theory of rational expectations suggests that people optimally use all the information they have, including information about government policies, when forecasting the future. Expectations adjust quickly.

The natural rate hypothesis

The analysis of the costs of disinflation, and of economic fluctuations in the preceding chapters, is based on the natural rate hypothesis:

• Changes in aggregate demand affect output and employment only in the short run.

• In the long run, the economy returns to the levels of output, employment, and unemployment described by the classical model (Chap. 3).

• Allows economist to study SR and LR separately.

An alternative hypothesis: Hysteresis Hysteresis: the long-lasting influence of history

on variables such as the natural rate of unemployment.

A recession (negative demand shock) may leave permanent scars on the economy increase un, so economy may not fully recover.

“The most arresting piece of economic data is in the number of weeks the average unemployed person has been looking for work — statistics that have been compiled since 1948. Until recently, the largest such figure was 22 weeks, in the aftermath of the deep recession of 1981-82. In the most recent recession, however, the average reached about 41 weeks, and it still stands at more than 36 weeks. In other words, after more than four years of recovery, the economy still has an unprecedented number of long-term unemployed.

Some economists believe that long-term unemployment leaves permanent scars on the economy — a theory called hysteresis. One possible reason for hysteresis is that the long-term unemployed lose valuable job skills and, over time, become less committed to the labor market. In some ways, perhaps, they should be thought of as effectively out of the labor force. If this theory is right, the labor market today may have less slack than the unemployment rate and the employment-to-population ratio suggest. Policy makers at the Fed may have to accept that lower employment is the new normal.”

Mankiw NYT Article 11/23/13

http://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/LNU03008275

Hysteresis: Why negative shocks may increase the natural rate

The skills of cyclically unemployed workers may deteriorate while unemployed, and they may not find a job when the recession ends. (increased frictional unemployment)

Cyclically unemployed workers may lose their influence on wage-setting; then, insiders (employed workers) may bargain for higher wages for themselves.

Result: The cyclically unemployed “outsiders” may become structurally unemployed when the recession ends.

Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

1. Three models of aggregate supply in the short run: sticky-wage model imperfect-information model sticky-price model

All three models imply that output rises above its natural rate when the price level rises above the expected price level.

Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

2. Phillips curve derived from the SRAS curve states that inflation depends on

expected inflation cyclical unemployment supply shocks

presents policymakers with a short-run tradeoff between inflation and unemployment

Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

3. How people form expectations of inflation adaptive expectations

based on recently observed inflation implies “inertia”

rational expectations based on all available information implies that disinflation may be painless

Chapter SummaryChapter Summary

4. The natural rate hypothesis and hysteresis the natural rate hypotheses

states that changes in aggregate demand can only affect output and employment in the short run

hysteresis states that aggregate demand can have

permanent effects on output and employment