Analyzing the Interactions of Monetary and Fiscal Policy in a Small Open Economy Using a DSGE Model

Abstract

The principal aim of this paper is to estimate a small open economy dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) model with monetary and fiscal policy and analyze the interaction of these policies in Hungary. In the paper we present the model in a log-linearized form. We combine both calibration and Bayesian estimation to obtain parameter values of the model. We find that the model is suitable for impulse response analysis, so we estimate the impulse response functions of the model. We examine how five endogenous variables – namely output, inflation, the nominal interest rate, government spending and government revenue – react to non-systematic shocks to the nominal interest rate, government spending and government revenue. The plotted impulse response functions allow us to study how monetary and fiscal policy interacts in a small open economy. In some cases we find that restrictive fiscal policy is accompanied by expansive monetary policy, while in other cases the policy responses to shocks are coordinated. We conclude that our results are in accordance with economic theory.