Regional (very narrow) money-output relationship:
panel cointegration and structural breaks
筑波大学 永易淳
This paper empirically studies the relationship between money and output using Japanese regional (prefectural) data from 1990 to 2005. Taking account of multiple breaks in the panel cointegration framework, we provide evidence of an unstable relationship and point out potential breakpoints which coincide with some historic events. However, these breaks are not the cause of the breakdown of this relationship since even when these breaks are considered, no evidence of cointegration is obtained from the panel data. Therefore, the standard model seems to be misspecified. Indeed, when this simple relationship is extended to include both wealth and other prefecture-specific factors, the model is found to be cointegrated. Finally, while our results are sensitive to the model specification, income elasticity stays between zero and one, and interestingly, industrial prefectures seem to raise the level of income elasticity.
JEL Classification: E41
Keywords: Money demand, panel cointegration, structural breaks
Godwin’s Law ― which says that in any sufficiently long online discussion, someone will compare his opponent to Hitler ― is often interpreted to mean that if you do, in fact, start making Nazi comparisons, you’ve lost the argument and can no longer be taken seriously. I’m all for that. (Does this mean that we should no longer take any significant figure in the Republican Party seriously? Yes, it does.)
But there are a lot of moral equivalents of Nazi comparisons, and they should receive the same treatment. I propose that we officially declare that anyone who
1. Responds to calls for more government action in some area ― employment creation, health care, whatever ― by invoking the example of the Soviet Union
or
2. Responds to suggestions that moderate inflation and/or dollar depreciation is acceptable by invoking the example of Zimbabwe
or
3. Responds to any demonstration that projected debt levels, while high, are within the range advanced countries have successfully dealt with in the past by invoking the example of Argentina