In 1913, Congress purposefully created the Federal Reserve as an independent central bank, which created a fundamental tension: how to ensure the Fed remains accountable to the electorate without losing its independence. Over the years, there have been changes in the Fed’s structure to improve...

January 4, 2013. Presentation. "The Global Battle Over Central Bank Independence." NABE Panel Discussion: "Federal Reserve Independence in the Aftermath of the Financial Crisis: Should We Be Worried?" AEA/ASSA Annual Meeting, San Diego, California.

"Monetary policy acts with a lag. I liken it to a good single malt whiskey or perhaps truly great tequila: It takes time before you feel its full effect. The Fed has to be very careful now to add just the right amount of stimulus to the punchbowl without mixing in the potential to juice up...

"If the Congress is not careful and ends up where it is going in tampering with the independence of the Federal Reserve, it will indeed lead us down the path to the politicization of the central bank of the world's greatest economy, putting the United States on a road that leads directly to...