Pandemic meltdown and economic recovery – A multi-phase dynamic model, empirics, and policy

In this paper a two-phase pandemic-economic model is proposed, with phase-specific modeling and policy variables – as suggested by the chronicle of pandemic and economic policy developments over the period 2020–2021. In a first phase, the spread of a pandemic disease is the primary concern of authorities, that still also pay attention to economic activity. A dynamic model is introduced, embedding a two-way interaction between an extended epidemic Susceptible-Infected-Recovered (SIR) model and output gap dynamics. In the second phase, posterior to lockdowns when waves fade away, monetary policy becomes the control variable, pursuing again a joint objective, of supporting a non-inflationary recovery without causing significant fatalities. We then use a standard stylized model for the macroeconomy with simplified infection dynamics, that also enter the policy objective. The two phases are thus studied in a regime change model where the control and state variables as well as the objective function are allowed to change across phases. We solve the model over a finite horizon and derive the optimal lockdown or monetary policy path that jointly minimizes pandemic and economic losses. The two-phase finite horizon decision model is empirically calibrated and numerically solved by discretization and optimization methods. In the first phase, albeit with lasting adverse effects on output, lockdown-based control can be effective in reducing infection rates, but less so when starting from a negative output gap. In the second phase, accommodative monetary policy appears to be effective on both fronts, with even an eventual need for a return to tightening as output gap closes and inflation resumes.