Replication data for: Designing Optimal Macroeconomic Policy Rules under Parameter Uncertainty: A Stochastic Dominance Approach

Research data associated with the manuscript:
[1] Górajski, M., Kuchta, Z., 2022, Designing Optimal Macroeconomic Policy Rules under Parameter Uncertainty: A Stochastic Dominance Approach.

This work is supported by the National Science Centre in Poland under Grant No. 2017/26/D/HS4/00942.

It contains all user-defined MATLAB and R functions that implement our algorithms and replicate all results. We group them into seven folders:
1. main_data
It performs the data preparation process.

2. main_estimation
It estimates 25 versions of the Erceg, Henderson, and Levine (2000) small-scale DSGE model (EHL model). They differ by the monetary policy rule. We consider eight Taylor-type rules (see Table 1) and one nominal GDP targeting rule (H.2) (see Appendix H).

3. main_measuring_uncertainty
It evaluates the MWL and OPFC distributions for all versions of the EHL model.

4. main_compare_losses
It contains the novel EP Bayesian tests for the SDk relations from Section 4.2. We use these tests to compare the MWLs.

5. main_robust_simple_rules
It replicates all Bayesian and min-max robust strategies.

6. main_simulations
It collects all codes that perform the simulations of the EHL model with SDk-optimal and estimated policy rules.

7. main_performance_BayesEP_SDk_tests
It assesses the performance of the EP Bayesian tests for SDk relations.

Abstract
In this paper, we offer a Bayesian decision-theoretic approach to policy evaluation in rational expectation models. First, we show how to correctly assess and rank simple policy rules under the welfare loss minimization criterion in the presence of uncertainty about the model's structural parameters. We consider a Bayesian policymaker that assesses the effectiveness of policy actions, by comparing the distributions of welfare losses using stochastic dominance orderings. Second, we propose a new Bayesian testing procedure to verify higher and infinite degrees of stochastic dominance. Third, we demonstrate a potential use of the suggested approach to a dynamic stochastic general equilibrium model, estimated for the U.S. economy. We show that using stochastic dominance to rank simple monetary policy rules yields different rankings than well-established robust approaches. The contemporaneous monetary policy rule that reacts to inflation and the output gap, with an interest rate smoothing mechanism, minimizes the welfare loss for all decision-makers who admit infinite degree stochastic dominance preferences.