We propose a candidate solution to the imperfect exchange rate passthrough puzzle: habit persistence at the level of individual goods varieties. Deep habits generate a dynamic import demand function that leads to import price markup adjustments, independently of nominal pricing frictions. Augmenting a standard two-country model with deep habits, we obtain low exchange rate pass-through to impor...

T H E desirability as wel l as the difficulty o f obtaining reliable estimates o f import demand elasticities is clearly demonstrated by the extensive literature on the subject during the last few decades. Interest i n price elasticities o f import demand originated in Marshall's [14] discussion o f the possibility o f a devaluation causing a deterioration rather than an improvement in the bala...