Die Zentralbanken in den Industrieländern betreiben seit längerer Zeit eine sehr lockere Geldpolitik mit niedrigen nominalen Zinsen. Bei gleichzeitig niedriger Inflationsrate sind auch die Realzinsen sehr gering. Von niedrigen Zinsen wird erwartet, dass die Investitionsschwäche überwunden,...

On the eve of the financial and economic crisis of 2008/09, the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) could look back to a decade of remarkable macroeconomic stability. Somewhat surprisingly, though, inflation differentials across member states have been substantial and persistent, causing...

Ronald Reagan's first term of office is drawing to a close. What has become of the promises he made in his economic programme four years ago and what is the outlook for the short and medium term?

The theory and practice of stabilization policy has taken many turns as it evolved over the past century, oscillating between high hopes and deep skepticism regarding the capacity - and desirability - of governments taking responsibility for macroeconomic stability. This paper reviews the...

Fiscal policy is widely criticized for its failure to act as a stabilizing countercyclical force in the European Monetary Union. Two periods should be distinguished: Prior to the Financial Crisis of 2008, when monetary policy had traction to pursue stability for the aggregate eurozone, fiscal...

The Financial Crisis of 2008, and the Great Recession in its wake, have shaken up macroeconomics. The paradigm of the 'New' Neoclassical Synthesis, which seemed to provide a robust framework of analysis for short-run macro not long ago, fails to capture key elements of the recent crisis. This...