This paper challenges the time-inconsistency case for central bank independence. It argues that the time-inconsistency literature not only seriously confuses the substance of the rules versus discretion debate, but also posits an implausible view of monetary policy. Most worrisome, the...

Policymakers often use the output gap, a noisy signal of economic activity, as a guide for setting monetary policy. Noise in the data argues for policy caution. At the same time, the zero bound on nominal interest rates constrains the central bank's ability to stimulate the economy during...

This paper presents a no-arbitrage model of the yield curve that explicitly incorporates the central-bank policy rate. After having estimated the model using daily euro-area data, I explore the behavior of risk premia at the short end of the yield curve. These risk premia are neglected by the...

In this paper, I investigate the effects of the ECB's monetary policy on the yield curve, and make contributions at three levels. First, I propose a novel and tractable model of the yield curve that belongs to the class of affine term-structure models. Importantly, this model is consistent with...

This paper presents a no-arbitrage yield-curve model that explicitly incorporates the central-bank policy rate. The model, whose estimation is based on daily euro-area data, provides evidence of the existence of sizeable monetary-policy-related risk premiums in the yield curve. It is further...

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...

In this paper, we analyze optimal monetary policy rules in a model of the euro area, namely the ECB's Area Wide Model, which embodies a high degree of intrinsic persistence and a limited role for forward-looking expectations. These features allow us, in large measure, to differentiate our...

Monetary policy and institutions are far from exempt from political influences. In this paper, we analyze monetary institutions not as being run by either benevolent technocrats or a wealth maximizing Leviathan but as being the outcome of competition between interest groups trying to capture...