Structural vector autoregressive (VAR) models are important tools for empirical work in macroeconomics, finance, and related fields. This book not only reviews the many alternative structural VAR approaches discussed in the literature, but also highlights their pros and cons in practice. It provides guidance to empirical researchers as to the most appropriate modeling choices, methods of estimating, and evaluating structural VAR models. The book traces the evolution of the structural VAR methodology and contrasts it with other common methodologies, including dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. It is intended as a bridge between the often quite technical econometric literature on structural VAR modeling and the needs of empirical researchers. The focus is not on providing the most rigorous theoretical arguments, but on enhancing the reader's understanding of the methods in question and their assumptions. Empirical examples are provided for illustration.

Vector autoregressive (VAR) models are among the most widely used econometric tools in the fields of macroeconomics and financial economics. Much of what we know about the response of the economy to macroeconomic shocks and about how various shocks have contributed to the evolution of macroeconomic and financial aggregates is based on VAR models. VAR models also have been used successfully for economic and business forecasting, for modelling risk and volatility, and for the construction of forecast scenarios. Since the introduction of VAR models by C.A. Sims in 1980, the VAR methodology has continuously evolved. Even today important extensions and reinterpretations of the VAR framework are being developed. Examples include VAR models for mixed-frequency data, VAR models as approximations to DSGE models, factor-augmented VAR models, new tools for the identification of structural shocks in VAR models, panel VAR approaches, and time-varying parameter VAR models. This volume collects contributions from some of the leading VAR experts in the world on VAR methods and applications. Each chapter highlights and synthesizes a new development in this literature in a way that is accessible to practitioners, to graduate students, and to readers in other fields.

Structural vector autoregressive (VAR) models are important tools for empirical work in macroeconomics, finance, and related fields. This book not only reviews the many alternative structural VAR approaches discussed in the literature, but also highlights their pros and cons in practice. It provides guidance to empirical researchers as to the most appropriate modeling choices, methods of estimating, and evaluating structural VAR models. The book traces the evolution of the structural VAR methodology and contrasts it with other common methodologies, including dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models. It is intended as a bridge between the often quite technical econometric literature on structural VAR modeling and the needs of empirical researchers. The focus is not on providing the most rigorous theoretical arguments, but on enhancing the reader's understanding of the methods in question and their assumptions. Empirical examples are provided for illustration.