Solution methods for models with rare disasters

B-Tier
Journal: Quantitative Economics
Year: 2018
Volume: 9
Issue: 2
Pages: 903-944

Authors (2)

Jesús Fernández‐Villaverde (not in RePEc) Oren Levintal (Interdisciplinary Center (IDC))

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper compares different solution methods for computing the equilibrium of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models with rare disasters along the lines of those proposed by Rietz (1988), Barro (2006), Gabaix (2012), and Gourio (2012). DSGE models with rare disasters require solution methods that can handle the large nonlinearities triggered by low‐probability, high‐impact events with accuracy and speed. We solve a standard New Keynesian model with Epstein–Zin preferences and time‐varying disaster risk with perturbation, Taylor projection, and Smolyak collocation. Our main finding is that Taylor projection delivers the best accuracy/speed tradeoff among the tested solutions. We also document that even third‐order perturbations may generate solutions that suffer from accuracy problems and that Smolyak collocation can be costly in terms of run time and memory requirements.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:wly:quante:v:9:y:2018:i:2:p:903-944
Journal Field
General
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-25