Do we really need to tame a conservative ECB? When the policy mix matters

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Do we really need to tame a conservative ECB? When the policy mix matters

Author Info

Marco Lossani (Catholic University of Milan-Bicocca)
Piergiovanna Natale () (Department of Economics, University of Milan-Bicocca)
Patrizio Tirelli () (Department of Economics, University of Milan-Bicocca)

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Patrizio Tirelli

Abstract

This paper contributes to the goal-versus-instrument independence debate for the ECB exploring how these alternative monetary arrangements perform when the fiscal authority pursues a strategy of debt reduction in the long term but retains fiscal flexibility in response to supply shocks. If fiscal policy is sufficiently flexible, appointing a goal independent (i.e. conservative) central banker dominates inflation targeting. In fact, as the fiscal authority and the central bank act independently in setting their countercyclical policies, an activist central banker causes excess volatility of inflation. This result provides theoretical content to the claim that a strong and goal-independent ECB needs a political match able to engineer countercyclical fiscal policies.

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Publisher Info
Paper provided by University of Milano-Bicocca, Department of Economics in its series Working Papers with number 18.

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Length: 19 pages
Date of creation: Oct 1997
Date of revision: Nov 1998
Handle: RePEc:mib:wpaper:18

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