Nonlinear adventures at the zero lower bound

In this paper, we argue for the importance of explicitly considering nonlinearities in analyzing the behavior of the New Keynesian model with a zero lower bound (ZLB) of the nominal interest rate. To show this, we report how the decision rules and the equilibrium dynamics of the model are substantially affected by the nonlinear features brought about by the ZLB. We also illustrate a tension between the length of a spell at the ZLB and the drop in consumption there.