Central banks are major players in today's economic and financial policy making. While respected for their technical acumen and their pivotal role in defusing the global financial crisis, they are at the same time mistrusted by others and considered to be too powerful. In order to contribute to...

Chapter 1. Introduction -- Chapter 2. From War Financier to Bankers’ Bank -- Chapter 3. Central Banks under the Gold Standard -- Chapter 4. The Federal Reserve: A Unique Institution -- Chapter 5. From War to War: 1914-1939 -- Chapter 6. Post-war Progress: 1946-1960 -- Chapter 7. The 1960s:...

Part I: US Growth Policies in the Election Year -- Part II: Assessing the Impact of Labor Market Reforms -- Part III: Imbalances, Tensions and Possible Readjustments: Evidence from Intertemporal Accounting and the Financial Accounts -- Part IV: G20, Global Governance and Regional Integration --...