Bounded rationality in Keynesian beauty contests: A lesson for central bankers?

Arbeitspapier

The goal of this paper is to show how adding behavioral components to micro-foundated models of macroeconomics may contribute to a better understanding of real world phenomena. The authors introduce the reader to variations of the Keynesian Beauty Contest (Keynes, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money, 1936), theoretically and experimentally with a descriptive model of behavior. They bridge the discrepancies of (benchmark) solution concepts and bounded rationality through step-level reasoning, the so-called level-k or cognitive hierarchy models. These models have been recently used as building blocks for new behavioral macro theories to understand puzzles like the lacking rise of inflation after the financial crisis, the effectiveness of quantitative easing, the forward guidance puzzle and the effectiveness of temporary fiscal expansion.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Economics Discussion Papers ; No. 2019-53

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; General Aggregative Models: Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian ; General Aggregative Models: Neoclassical ; Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty: General ; Design of Experiments: Laboratory, Individual
• Subject: beauty contest game ; expectation formation ; equilibration ; level-k reasoning ; macroeconomics ; game theory ; experimental economics

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Mauersberger, Felix ; Nagel, Rosemarie ; Bühren, Christoph
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW)
• (where): Kiel
• (when): 2019

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/206610
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:42 AM CET