Nonparametric and semiparametric evidence on the long-run effects of inflation on growth

Abstract

Two major findings of the empirical literature on the connec tion between inflation and output growth is that their relationship is non linear and that there exists a threshold inflation level be low which inflation has a positive impact on growth and above which inflation has a negative impact on growth. In this paper we adopt both a nonparametric estimator and a semiparametric IV one to show that the first finding holds true even dropping the specification assumptions typical of parametric models. We also show that a threshold level does exist and it is around 12% for developed countries. Below this level inflation does not appear to have any substantial effect on growth.Inflation, Growth