Measuring uncertainty of the euro area NAIRU: Monte Carlo and empirical evidence for alternative confidence intervals in a state space framework

Abstract

This paper investigates uncertainty around point estimates of the euro area NAIRU in a state space framework. The relative accuracy of alternative measures of uncertainty for state space models are compared using Monte Carlo simulations. A direct bootstrap method yields confidence intervals with lower coverage probability than confidence intervals based on mean squared errors (MSE) approximations. The degree of uncertainty of the euro area NAIRU is estimated with a trivariate state space model. The direct bootstrap method shows the narrowest confidence interval compared with the MSE approximations. However, the wider intervals based on MSE approximations are narrow enough for the identification of some periods in time where observed unemployment and the NAIRU differ significantly.