An Introduction to Monetary Policy Rules

This paper is an introduction to contemporary discussions within monetary theory and policy. The paper focuses on comparing proposals for monetary policy rules. It first lays out an argument for why monetary policy?defined here broadly to mean adjusting the money supply in an attempt to influence the economy?is desirable in the first place. It then presents an argument for why rules-based monetary policy is preferable to discretionary policy. Next it discusses at a general level two kinds of rules: those that can be implemented with minimal changes to current monetary institutions (i.e., central banking) and those that would require significant institutional changes to implement. The discussion is primarily an effort to promote informed participation in the democratic process