Though central banks make consequential macroeconomic decisions, little is known about diversity at the helm of these institutions. This article investigates what factors drive the gender balance in central bank boards. I document the lack diversity of central bank leadership and argue that it...

This paper discusses key legal issues in the design of Board Oversight in central banks. Central banks are complex and sophisticated organizations that are challenging to manage. While most economic literature focuses on decision-making in the context of monetary policy formulation, this paper...

Women have traditionally been underrepresented among governors of the Federal Reserve Board and among presidents of the regional Federal Reserve Banks. This lack of diversity may limit the representation of the interests of women, leave out valuable talent, and affect group dynamics and...

Monetary policy decisions taken by central banks affect the economy, society and politics worldwide. Does the presence of women matter in these decisions? We construct a new and unique dataset on the presence of women on central bank monetary policy committees for a large sample of countries,...

Despite substantial differences in monetary policy and communication strategies, many central banks share the practice of purdah, a self-imposed guideline of abstaining from communication around policy meetings or other important events. This practice is remarkable, as it seems to contradict the...