Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP10731
Authors: James Costain; Anton Nakov
Abstract: We model retail price stickiness as the result of errors due to costly decision-making. Under our assumed cost function for the precision of choice, the timing of price adjustments and the prices firms set are both logit random variables. Errors in the prices firms set help explain micro ?puzzles? relating to the sizes of price changes, the behavior of adjustment hazards, and the variability of prices and costs. Errors in adjustment timing increase the real effects of monetary shocks, by reducing the ?selection effect?. Allowing for both types of errors also helps explain how trend inflation affects price adjustment.
Keywords: information-constrained prices; logit equilibrium; near rationality; nominal rigidity; state-dependent pricing
JEL Codes: E31; D81; C73
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| decision-making errors (D91) | price dynamics (E30) |
| timing of price changes (E30) | magnitude of monetary shocks (E39) |
| decision-making costs (D91) | understanding of inflation's impact on price dynamics (E31) |