Inflation in advanced economies is low by historical standards but there is no threat of deflation. Slower economic growth is caused by supply-side constraints rather than low inflation. Below-the-target inflation does not damage the reputation of central banks. Thus, central banks should not...

Within a Monetary Union, we assume that the policy of a hard-nosed central bank results in a real appreciation of the Union currency, which is in contradiction with the growth targets of several countries. These countries may join together to question the policy of the bank. As a consequence,...

This paper presents a reasonable extreme-bounds analysis of the empirical relationship between growth and central bank independence. The paper constructs the reasonable extreme-bounds for a wide variety of the most comprehensive, systematic measures of central bank independence currently...