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Talking to the inattentive Public: How the media translates the Reserve Bank’s communications

Author

Listed:
  • Monique Reid

    (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)

  • Stan du Plessis

    (Department of Economics, University of Stellenbosch)

Abstract

Central bank communication is widely recognised as crucial to the implementation of monetary policy. This communication should enhance a central bank’s management of the inflation expectations of the financial markets as well as the general public – the latter being a part of the central bank’s audience that has received relatively little research attention. In this paper, the role of the media in transmitting the SARB’s communication to the general public is explored, with the aim of improving our understanding of its impact on the expectations channel of the monetary policy transmission mechanism. A deliberate evaluation of this channel could aid the design of future strategies to communicate with the general public.

Suggested Citation

  • Monique Reid & Stan du Plessis, 2011. "Talking to the inattentive Public: How the media translates the Reserve Bank’s communications," Working Papers 19/2011, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:sza:wpaper:wpapers147
    as

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    File URL: https://www.ekon.sun.ac.za/wpapers/2011/wp192011/wp-19-2011.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Munday, Tim & Brookes, James, 2021. "Mark my words: the transmission of central bank communication to the general public via the print media," Bank of England working papers 944, Bank of England.
    2. Alberto Coco & Nicola Viegi, 2019. "The monetary policy of the South African Reserve Bank: stance, communication and credibility," Working Papers 788, Economic Research Southern Africa.
    3. Reid, Monique & Siklos, Pierre & Guetterman, Timothy & Du Plessis, Stan, 2021. "The role of financial journalists in the expectations channel of the monetary transmission mechanism," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    4. Cyril May & Greg Farrell & Jannie Rossouw, 2018. "Do Monetary Policy Announcements Affect Exchange Rate Returns and Volatility of Returns? Some Evidence from High‐Frequency Intra‐Day South African Data," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 86(3), pages 308-338, September.
    5. Pierdzioch, Christian & Reid, Monique B. & Gupta, Rangan, 2016. "Inflation forecasts and forecaster herding: Evidence from South African survey data," Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics (formerly The Journal of Socio-Economics), Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 42-50.
    6. Ana Cristina Pereira Das Neves, 2018. "The Mass Media Transmission Of Central Bank Communication Under Uncertainty," Anais do XLIV Encontro Nacional de Economia [Proceedings of the 44th Brazilian Economics Meeting] 54, ANPEC - Associação Nacional dos Centros de Pós-Graduação em Economia [Brazilian Association of Graduate Programs in Economics].
    7. Lamla, Michael J. & Vinogradov, Dmitri V., 2019. "Central bank announcements: Big news for little people?," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 21-38.
    8. Hayo, Bernd & Neuenkirch, Matthias, 2015. "Self-monitoring or reliance on media reporting: How do financial market participants process central bank news?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 27-37.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    South Africa; central bank communication; consistency; monetary policy transmission mechanism; transparent monetary policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E42 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Monetary Sytsems; Standards; Regimes; Government and the Monetary System
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies

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