Learning about monetary policy rules when labor market search and matching frictions matter

Abstract

This paper examines the implications of labor market search and matching frictions for determinacy and E-stability of rational expectations equilibrium (REE) in a sticky price model with interest rate policy. When labor adjustment takes place solely at the extensive margin, forecast-based policy that meets the Taylor principle is likely to induce indeterminacy and E-instability, regardless of whether it is strictly or flexibly inflation targeting. When labor adjustment takes place at both the extensive and intensive margins, the strictly inflation-forecast targeting policy remains likely to induce indeterminacy, but it generates a unique E-stable fundamental REE as long as the Taylor principle is satisfied. Therefore, the presence of search and matching frictions changes the determinacy properties of a strictly inflation-forecast targeting policy, and alters its E-stability properties when only an extensive margin is present but not when labor adjustment takes place at both margins.