Olena Kostyshyna is a Research Advisor in the Canadian Economic Analysis (CEA) Department. Her research interests include macroeconomics, labour economics, experimental economics and survey expectations. Prior to joining the Bank, Olena held academic position at the Portland State University in the USA. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Simon Fraser University.
We analyze micro-level data from the Canadian Survey of Consumer Expectations through the lens of a heterogeneous-expectations model to study how inflation expectations form over the business cycle. We provide new insights into how households form expectations, documenting that forecasting behaviours, attention and noise in beliefs vary across socio-demographic groups and correlate with views about monetary policy.
We study food inflation rates for Canadian households during periods of low and high inflation from 2012Q4 to 2023Q4. Households experienced more varied inflation rates during the recent high inflation. Cumulative food inflation has been 2.2 percentage points higher for lower-income households than for highest-income households since the inflation surge.
We quantitively assess the risks of a wage-price spiral occurring in Canada over history. We find the risk of a wage-price spiral increases when the inflation expectations become unanchored and the credibility of central banks declines.
Using the microdata underlying the Canadian consumer price index, we study how often and by how much firms changed their prices during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that the surge in inflation was mainly associated with retailers raising prices much more often than before. We also find that more recently, corporate price-setting behaviour appears to be approaching pre-pandemic norms.
We examine the value of direct communication to households about inflation and the uncertainty around inflation statistics. All types of information about inflation are effective at immediately managing inflation expectations, with information about outlooks being more effective and relevant than that about recent inflation and Bank targets.
We assess the complex macroeconomic implications of Canada’s recent population increases. We find that newcomers significantly boost the non-inflationary, potential growth of the economy, but existing imbalances in the housing sector may be exacerbated. Greater housing supply is needed to complement the long-term economic benefits of population growth.
“On the Evolution of Multiple Jobholding in Canada” (with Etienne Lale), Canadian Journal of Economics, Vol. 55 (2), p. 1095-1134, May 2022.
"Are Sunspots Learnable? An Experimental Investigation in a Simple Macroeconomic Model" (with Jasmina Arifovic and George Evans), Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Vol. 110, p. 1 -21, January 2020.
“Downward Nominal Wage Rigidity in Canada: Evidence from Micro-level Data” (with D. Brouillette and N. Kyui). 2018. Canadian Journal of Economics. 51(3), pages 968-1002.
