Inflation regimes and inflation expectations

There has been much talk in the popular press about the difficulty of attaining credibility in the bond markets for the low-inflation policies that have been adopted by a number of central banks in recent years. This credibility problem is particularly severe for those countries that have a history of high inflation. Gaining credibilty is often viewed in the context of learning by the public about the central bank's true intentions. However, this paper argues that a more important aspect of credibility--at lease for long-term inflation expectations--may be public views about how future changes in personnel, electoral results, or economic shocks may affect central bank behavior. In other words, there is always a positive probability that the current regime will end. Views about the nature of possible future regimes are likely to be influenced by observed past regimes.