Monetary Policy, Rational Confidence and Neo-Fisherian Depressions

The "Neo-Fisherian" claim has been questioned on the ground that the Fisher equation cannot be used mechanically to peg the long-run inflation expectations. In this working paper, authors Lucio Gobbi (EconPol Europe, University of Trento), Ronny Mazzocchi (European Parliament) and Roberto Tamborini (EconPol Europe, University of Trento) study a New Keynesian economy where agents' inflation expectations are based on their correct understanding of the data generations process, and on their probabilistic confidence in the central bank's ability to keep inflation on target. They find that the Neo-Fisherian claim is a theoretical possibility depending on the interplay of a set of parameters and very low levels of agents' confidence.