Dynamic stochastic general equilibrium modeling (abbreviated
DSGE or sometimes
SDGE or
DGE) is a branch of applied
general equilibrium theory that is influential in contemporary
macroeconomics. The DSGE methodology attempts to explain aggregate economic phenomena, such as
economic growth,
business cycles, and the effects of
monetary and
fiscal policy, on the basis of
macroeconomic models derived from
microeconomic principles. One of the main reasons macroeconomists have begun to build DSGE models is that unlike more
traditional macroeconometric forecasting models, DSGE macroeconomic models should not, in principle, be vulnerable to the
Lucas critique (Woodford, 2003, p. 11; Tovar, 2008, p. 15).
Structure of DSGE models
Like other
general equilibrium models, DSGE models aim to describe the behavior of the economy as a whole by analyzing the interaction of many
microeconomic decisions. The decisions considered in most DSGE models correspond to some of the main quantities studied in
macroeconomics, such as
consumption,
saving,
investment, and
labor supply and
labor demand. The decision-makers in the model, often called
'agents', may include
households,
business firms, and possibly others, such as
governments or
central banks.
Furthermore, as their name indicates, DSGE models are
dynamic, studying how the economy evolves over time. They are also
stochastic, taking into account the fact that the economy is affected by random
shocks such as technological change, fluctuations...
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