This paper proposes a simple framework for analyzing a continuum of monetary policy rules characterized by differing degrees of credibility, in which commitment and discretion become special cases of what we call quasi commitment. The monetary policy authority is assumed to formulate optimal...

This paper examines how the scale and composition of public debt can affect economies that implement a combination of “passive” monetary policy and “active” fiscal policy. This policy configuration is argued to be of both historical and contemporary interest in the cases of the U.S. and...

This paper proposes a theory of the fiscal foundations of inflation based on imperfect knowledge and learning. The theory is similar in spirit to, but distinct from, unpleasant monetarist arithmetic and the fiscal theory of the price level. Because the assumption of imperfect knowledge breaks...

Remarks at the ACI 2010 World Congress, Sydney, Australia.

Remarks at 2010 CFA Institute Fixed Income Management Conference, Newport Beach, California.

Remarks at the National Association for Business Economics Policy Conference, Arlington, Virginia

Remarks at Global Interdependence Center Central Banking Series Event, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.

Remarks by Brian P. Sack before the Money Marketeers of New York University, New York City.

Remarks at the Annual Meeting with Primary Dealers, New York City.

Under rational expectations, monetary policy is generally highly effective in stabilizing the economy. Aggregate demand management operates through the expectations hypothesis of the term structure: Anticipated movements in future short-term interest rates control current demand. This paper...