Edward Conard

Top Ten New York Times Bestselling Author

  • “…a comprehensive explanation of the modern economy.” - Julian Robertson, Founder, Tiger Management
  • “Unintended Consequences represents the most cogent and persuasive analysis of the Financial Crisis to date.” - Andrei Shleifer, 1999 John Bates Clark Medal Winner
  • “…a comprehensive explanation of the modern economy.” - Julian Robertson, Founder, Tiger Management
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • “…a fresh argument for the productive value of inequality.” - David Autor, Professor of Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • “…reminds us that inequality sends a signal of what society lacks most, in America’s case, entrepreneurship and risk taking.” - Lawrence Lindsey, CEO, The Lindsey Group, former Director of the National Economic Council
  • “Unintended Consequences should be read by anyone who takes for granted the superiority of progressive taxation and has not thought carefully about the trade-offs involved.” - The New Republic
  • “…challenges misconceptions that distort our economic debates.” - Arthur Brooks, President of the American Enterprise Institute
  • “…serious thinking for serious thinkers. …a thought-provoking blueprint for growing middle- and working-class incomes.” - Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts
  • “…a very valuable contribution.” - Larry Summers, former Secretary of the Treasury and director of the National Economic Council, president emeritus, Harvard University
Upside of Inequality Oxford Unintended Consequences

AI Summary. The authors conclude that the natural rate of unemployment declined during the expansion that began in 2009, when unemployment fell from 10% to 3.5% with near-constant inflation. Their reasoning is that with inflation anchored at the Federal Reserve's 2% target over such a long stable period, New Keynesian theory implies the observed unemployment rate equals the natural rate.

Robert Hall and Marianna Kudlyak National Bureau of Economic Research
Date Posted:

Robert Hall and @MariannaKudlyak argue the natural rate of unemployment has fallen in the aftermath of the financial crisis to 3.5%.

Does the natural rate of unemployment decline during long recoveries?

Core argument: Unemployment fell from 10% to 3.5% during the decade-long expansion beginning in 2009 while inflation remained nearly constant, a combination the authors argue makes Phillips curves with constant natural rates and constant slopes untenable.

The decade-long expansion starting in 2009 combined near constant inflation with continuing declines in unemployment from 10% to 3.5%. Phillips curves constructed with constant natural rates and constant slopes became untenable as this process unfolded. Our investigation of the recovery starting in 2009 concludes in favor of a declining natural rate. The logical basis for this conclusion is that the anchored inflation rate must have converged to the Fed’s target rate of 2% over such a long period of stable inflation so close to that target. A bedrock principle of the New Keynesian model is that in an economy with actual inflation equal to its anchor, the observed unemployment rate must equal the natural rate.

Takeaways by Macro Roundup® AI

  1. Unemployment fell from 10% to 3.5% during the decade-long expansion beginning in 2009 while inflation remained nearly constant, a combination the authors argue makes Phillips curves with constant natural rates and constant slopes untenable.
  2. The authors conclude that the natural rate of unemployment declined over the recovery starting in 2009, reasoning that anchored inflation must have converged to the Fed's 2% target over such a long period of stable inflation close to that target.
  3. A bedrock principle of the New Keynesian model, cited by the authors, holds that when actual inflation equals its anchor, the observed unemployment rate must equal the natural rate.

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