Welfare loss and policy trade-offs: Calvo vs. Rotemberg

Abstract

This paper shows that the Calvo and Rotemberg pricing models lead to different outcomes regarding welfare losses and inflation-output dynamics, based on the type of subsidies used to achieve an efficient steady state. When revenue subsidies are applied in the Rotemberg model, the inflation-output dynamics and welfare loss functions are identical to those of the Calvo model. However, with employment subsidies, the two models differ. Aligning the inflation-output dynamics causes differences in the welfare loss function. These findings underscore the importance of model selection in the design of monetary policy, influencing the trade-off between inflation and output gap stabilisation.