Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/319882 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
BERG Working Paper Series No. 204
Publisher: 
Bamberg University, Bamberg Economic Research Group (BERG), Bamberg
Abstract: 
This paper investigates how social network and conformity dynamics shape the stability of inflation expectations and the dissemination of economic narratives. Using an agent-based macroeconomic simulation, I integrate a heuristic switching framework with an opinion dynamics mechanism to examine the impact of targeted narrative dissemination by highly central agents on expectation dispersion. The computational experiments reveal that when influential network actors transmit the central bank's inflation narrative, both inflation rate dispersion and the dispersion of expectations are substantially reduced. Conversely, when distorting narratives spread through these key nodes, it requires very high persuasion levels to significantly amplify instability. Moreover, impulse response analyses show that stronger social influence accelerates convergence toward rational expectations following shocks, thereby mitigating both the magnitude and persistence of deviations. However, heightened persuasion can also weaken the link between expectations and underlying fundamentals, as agents increasingly align with dominant narratives rather than economic signals. Overall, these findings underscore the dual role of social networks in monetary policy communication, capable of both anchoring expectations and amplifying destabilising narratives.
Subjects: 
Expectations
Economic Narratives
Network Effects
Behavioral Macroeconomics
Agent-Based Modeling
Monetary Policy Communication
JEL: 
D84
D83
E52
E71
D85
ISBN: 
978-3-949224-25-6
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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