Consumer Confidence and the Japanese Economy -Comparison of Pre- and Post-Bubble Period-

Abstract

This paper investigates the effect of confidence on the Japanese economy by using vector autoregressions. Especially, I divide the total estimation period into two parts, pre- and post-bubble periods, and analyze the transition of that effect through the ages. It is shown that consumer confidence has a significant effect on GDP. Moreover, that effect becomes larger in a post-bubble period than in a pre-bubble period, which implies that the low level of confidence has worsened the economic condition in the lost (two) decade(s) after the bubble period.