After disinflation has been achieved, agents who form more sophisticated forecasts have lower confidence in the sustainability of a peg compared to less sophisticated agents. Furthermore, sustained financial stability leads to a declining proportion of sophisticated agents. Thus, the credibility...

This paper argues that, in the September 1992 European currency crisis, market trends in derivatives, in terms of price volatility and change in volumes traded, might have represented an early indicator, in reference to the spot market, of the lack of confidence in the ability of the Italian...

This chapter surveys the recent literature on the theory of macroeconomic policy. We study the effect of various incentive constraints on the policy making process, such as lack of credibility, political opportunism, political ideology, and divided government. The survey is organized in three...