Question 1 (15 marks)
The following exchange comes from testimony given by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Glenn Stevens, before the Commonwealth Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economics – on the 26th of August, 2011.
CHAIR: I will go to a story which has not been so good since the mid-2000s, productivity growth. You have referred in a couple of your speeches to the fact that it has not been looking as good as it should be since about the mid-2000s. I assume that was part of a trend. I assume it did not happen quickly. Is that a case of good times making you a little bit fat, if you like?
Mr Stevens : It is not a conclusion I was that keen to draw myself for quite a while, but I think you cannot avoid concluding from all the figures we have that productivity growth has slowed. It has slowed in a number of countries, not just here. I think I would be right in saying that it probably seems more pronounced here.
(http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22co
mmittees%2Fcommrep%2F306ee889-2f7e-4661-964b-5264b58b7169%2F0001%22)
Suppose there is a sustained, exogenous increase in aggregate demand. Using the
aggregate-demand/aggregate supply model, explain why the Governor (and the Board of the Reserve Bank) might be concerned about a slowdown in productivity growth . (In other words, explain the implications for monetary policy due to this slowdown).
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Question 1 (15 marks) The following exchange comes from testimony given by the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Glenn Stevens, before the Commonwealth Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economics – on the 26th of August, 2011. CHAIR: I will go to a story which has not been so good since the mid-2000s, productivity growth. You have referred in a couple of your speeches to the fact that it has not been looking as good as it should be since about the mid-2000s. I assume that was part of a trend. I assume it did not happen quickly. Is that a case of good times making you a little bit fat, if you like? Mr Stevens : It is not a conclusion I was that keen to draw myself for quite a while, but I think you cannot avoid concluding from all the figures we have that productivity growth has slowed. It has slowed in a number of countries, not just here. I think I would be right in saying that it probably seems more pronounced here. (http://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/search/display/display.w3p;query=Id%3A%22co mmittees%2Fcommrep%2F306ee889-2f7e-4661-964b-5264b58b7169%2F0001%22) Suppose there is a sustained, exogenous increase in aggregate demand. Using the aggregate-demand/aggregate supply model, explain why the Governor (and the Board of the Reserve Bank) might be concerned about a slowdown in productivity growth . (In other words, explain the implications for monetary policy due to this slowdown).