Posts

• November 9, 1994

  The Bank of Canada's new Quarterly Projection Model (QPM): An introduction

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1994 Stephen S. Poloz, David Rose, Robert Tetlow

  This article provides an overview of the Bank of Canada's new economic model, the Quarterly Projection Model (QPM), which has been under development at the Bank since 1989. The model has two roles. It is used to make economic projections, which are conducted quarterly and form an important basis for discussions of monetary policy between staff and senior management. QPM is also a research tool: it was developed to analyse important changes to the economy or macroeconomic policies which require a deeper understanding of long-term economic forces. The model pays particular attention to factors shaping long-term equilibrium, such as stocks of wealth, capital, government debt and net foreign assets. Various sources of dynamics, including the adjustment of forward-looking expectations, operate to determine the transition path to equilibrium and the consistency of expectations. The article discusses the history of QPM and earlier economic models at the Bank, and provides a simple overview of how the model works.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Economic models
• November 9, 1994

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1994

  

  Cover page

  Roman Republic: Denarius, 108–107 BC

  To the left of the figure is the name of the moneyer M. Herenni (Marcus Herennius), and to the right is the control mark, a horizontal P and dot. About the size of a 10-cent piece, this denarius is part of the National Currency Collection, Bank of Canada.

  Photography by James Zagon.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review
• November 8, 1994

  The demand for currency and the underground economy

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1994 Thérèse Laflèche

  The underground economy in Canada has attracted increased attention over the past few years, yet there is no precise way to measure its size. Recent estimates vary between 4 per cent and 15 per cent of gross domestic product. This article provides an overview of measurement issues and recent estimates. It then focusses on the "monetary" approach to estimating the size of the underground economy. This approach is based on the assumption that the demand for bank notes provides a clue as to the size of the underground economy. The article concludes that estimates that use this approach must be viewed with considerable caution. They are based on a number of assumptions that are difficult to verify and that significantly affect the results.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Monetary aggregates
• November 7, 1994

  The use of Canadian bank notes

  Bank of Canada Review - Autumn 1994 Louise Hyland

  This article delves into the microeconomics of note circulation, reviewing main factors affecting the demand for bank notes over the last 50 years, including new technology such as automated banking machines. It also discusses trends in the average value of notes in circulation and in the demand for notes of different denominations.

  Content Type(s): Publications, Bank of Canada Review articles Topic(s): Bank notes

• The Causes of Unemployment in Canada: A Review of the Evidence

  Staff Working Paper 1994-11 Stephen S. Poloz

  This paper reviews various competing theories of structural unemployment and considers whether they may be used to explain any of the rise in unemployment experienced by Canada during the most recent economic cycle.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Labour markets

• Les provinces canadiennes et la convergence : une évaluation empirique

  Staff Working Paper 1994-10 Mario Lefebvre

  This paper examines whether the hypothesis of economic convergence holds for the Canadian provinces. Using data on real gross domestic product per capita and on factor productivity from 1966 to 1992, the paper shows, using two different methods, that the convergence hypothesis cannot be rejected. This evidence supports the findings of other authors who have studied convergence among Canadian provinces.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Recent economic and financial developments

• Symétrie des chocs touchant les régions canadiennes et choix d'un régime de change

  Staff Working Paper 1994-9 Alain DeSerres, René Lalonde

  The authors attempt to determine whether the primary advantage of the flexible exchange rate between Canada and the United States—the rapid adjustment of the real exchange rate following an asymmetrical shock—is as evident at the regional as at the national level.

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Staff working papers Topic(s): Exchange rates

• The Bank of Canada's New Quarterly Projection Model, Part 1. The Steady-State Model: SSQPM

  Technical Report No. 72 Richard Black, Douglas Laxton, David Rose, Robert Tetlow

  This report is the first documenting the Bank of Canada's new model of the Canadian economy, the Quarterly Projection Model (QPM). QPM is used at the Bank of Canada for both economic projections and policy analysis. Here the authors focus on the model's long-run properties, describing SSQPM, a model of the steady state of QPM […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Economic models JEL Code(s): C, C5, C51, E, E1, E13

• Wealth, Disposable Income and Consumption: Some Evidence for Canada

  Technical Report No. 71 Tiff Macklem

  The author develops a measure of aggregate private sector wealth in Canada and examines its ability to explain aggregate consumption of non-durables and services. This wealth measure includes financial, physical and human wealth. The author measures human wealth as the expected present value of aggregate labour income, net of government expenditures, based on a discrete […]

  Content Type(s): Staff research, Technical reports Topic(s): Domestic demand and components JEL Code(s): D, D9, D91, E, E2, E21