Conventional wisdom says that commitment eliminates the inflationary bias of monetary policy. However, this paper shows that the inflation bias can persist even when the central bank commits. A simple model is presented in which the central bank precommits by setting the policy instrument, and...

In the second part of the 80s, Japan was under political pressure to expand aggregate demand. It followed suit in increasing its money supply. This caused severe inflation and the financial bubble which collapsed in 1990 resulting in capital losses and in a sizable loss of GDP. This paper draws...