In this paper, we examine the performance and robustness of optimised interest-rate rules in four models of the euro area which differ considerably in terms of size, degree of aggregation, relevance of forward-looking behavioural elements and adherence to micro-foundations. Our findings are...

Can the central bank of a monetary union, whose objectives are exclusively defined in terms of union-wide variables, improve its performance by reacting to regional variables rather than to union-wide variables only? Our answer is not clear-cut. We find the improvement to be large when we use a...