Present Bias Amplifies the Balance-Sheet Channels of Macroeconomic Policy

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: We study the effect of monetary and fiscal policy in a heterogeneous-agent model where households have present-biased time preferences and naive beliefs. The model features a liquid asset and illiquid home equity, which households can use as collateral for borrowing. Because present bias substantially increases households' marginal propensity to consume (MPC), present bias increases the impact of fiscal policy. Present bias also amplifies the effect of monetary policy but, at the same time, slows down the speed of monetary transmission. Interest rate cuts incentivize households to conduct cash-out refinances, which become targeted liquidity-injections to high-MPC households. But present bias also introduces a motive for households to procrastinate refinancing their mortgages, which slows down the speed with which this monetary channel operates.

Type of resource	text
Date created	August 16, 2021

DOI	https://doi.org/10.25740/gc771xn9068
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/gc771xn9068

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY).

Preferred citation: Laibson, D., Maxted, ., and Moll, B. (2022). Present Bias Amplifies the Balance-Sheet Channels of Macroeconomic Policy. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at https://purl.stanford.edu/gc771xn9068

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