Threshold models with time-varying threshold values and their application in estimating regime-sensitive Taylor rules

The literature of time series models with threshold effects makes the assumption of a constant threshold value over different periods. However, this time-homogeneity assumption tends to be too restrictive owing to the fact that the threshold value that triggers regime switching could possibly be time-varying. This study herein proposes a threshold model in which the threshold value is assumed to be a latent variable following an autoregressive (AR) process. The newly proposed model was estimated using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithm under a Bayesian framework. The Monte Carlo simulations are presented to assess the effectiveness of the Bayesian approaches. An illustration of the model was made through an application to a regime-sensitive Taylor rule employing U.S. data.