Global Capital Flows and Macroeconomy

Abstract

This dissertation develops an analytical and empirical framework to understand the effect of global financial flows on a heterogeneous-agent economy. The global integration of financial markets was an important milestone that characterizes the recent history of the world economy. The financial decisions of households, firms, banks, and governments are now closely affected by various global factors as capital moves across the boundaries of nations. These economic agents are not homogeneous; thus, their responses to global financial flows are not identical. I shed light on the interaction of these heterogeneous agents to explore the linkage of global financial flows to economy-wide phenomena such as wealth inequality, corporate earnings and household balance sheet.