US

Japan’s Deflation

The persistent deflation in Japan since 1997 could have been avoided had the Bank of Japan followed different monetary policies.

Responses

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
11%
18%
0%
3%
16%
32%
21%

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

© 2025. Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets.
0%
5%
16%
36%
43%
Participant
University
Vote
Confidence
Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
2
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Strongly Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Currie
Janet Currie
Princeton
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Strongly Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Sufficiently extreme monetary policies could have created inflation. The point is whether that would have helped much. Perhaps.
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
The experts disagree on the role of the Bank of Japan.
Goldin
Claudia Goldin
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Central banks lose control of the price level at the zero lower bound, when their reserves become close substitutes for government debt.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Strongly Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Fed actions prove that hitting the zero bound on rates need not imply deflation. BoJ could have stopped this and should be held accountable
-see background information here
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Strongly Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
If alternative = sufficiently unconventional and committed.
-see background information here
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Agree
8
Bio/Vote History
Lower interest rates, purchases of long-term assets, and higher inflation target could have raises output and prices.
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Strongly Agree
10
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Must be directionally right, but recent US experience does not inspire certainty.
Shin
Hyun Song Shin
Princeton
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Stokey
Nancy Stokey
University of Chicago
Strongly Agree
9
Bio/Vote History
A QE policy would likely have prevented the deflation.
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Zingales
Luigi Zingales
Chicago Booth Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History