This paper reconsiders the narratives surrounding Japan's economic performance since the 1980s in relation to the experiences of the U.S. and the Eurozone. There are important differences between these three economies and some striking parallels. It is found that the poor reputation of the Bank...

The Handbook consists of 24 chapters that cover topics ranging from central bank independence and transparency to the impact of unconventional monetary policies. Some chapters also deal with the modelling challenges faced by central banks as well as balance sheet management. The tensions faced...

Stylized facts suggest that the monetary policies in the US versus dollar bloc countries that formally target inflation (Australia, Canada, and New Zealand) place somewhat different emphasis on inflation than on other factors (e.g., output gap). We use parameter estimated from versions of models...

The central banks of Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and the US seem to have adopted somewhat different approaches to controlling inflation. This paper focuses on the empirical issue of whether a particular central bank can be said to be implementing a "strict" or a "flexible" inflation...

This paper evaluates the conduct of monetary policy in Hungary using standard Taylor rules as well as extended rules that incorporate real exchange rate effects. Moreover, we explicitly consider the impact of future euro area entry by estimating instrument rules that permit an influence from...

This paper examines the inflation record of 29 inflation and non inflation targeting economies. Both industrial and emerging market economies are considered. Empirical evidence is based on a comparison of actual and forecasted inflation, an econometric analysis that estimates changes in...

The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) are shadowed by professionals and academic economists who provide a separate policy rate recommendation in advance of the central bank's announcement. We explore differences between shadow and actual committee decisions based on an...

Monetary policy decisions are typically taken after a committee has deliberated and voted on a proposal. However, there are well-known risks associated with committee-based decisions. In this paper we examine the record of the shadow Monetary Policy Council in Canada. Given the structure of the...

This paper proposes that an important instrument of monetary policy of the Bundesbank, is how it communicates with the public. We argue that communication by senior central bank officials represents an instrument of monetary policy that complements changes in interest rates. Moreover, the...

One way of evaluating how well monetary authorities perform is to provide the public with a regular and independent second opinion. The European Central Bank (ECB) and the Bank of England (BoE) are shadowed by professional and academic economists who provide a separate policy rate recommendation...