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Does a good central banker make a difference?

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  • Matthias Neuenkirch
  • Peter Tillmann

Abstract

The personalities of central bankers moved center stage during the recent financial crisis. Some central bankers even gained "superstar" status. In this paper, we evaluate the pivotal role of superstar central bankers by assessing the difference an outstanding governor makes to economic performance. We employ school grades given to central bankers by the financial press. A superstar central banker is one receiving the top grade. In a probit estimation we first relate the grades to measures of economic performance, institutional features, and personal characteristics. We then employ a nearest neighbor matching approach to identify the central bankers which are closest to those receiving the top grade and compare the economic performance across both groups. The results suggest that a superstar governor indeed matters: a top-graded central banker faces a significantly more favorable output-inflation trade-off than his peers. This effect is driven by outstanding central bankers in emerging markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Neuenkirch & Peter Tillmann, 2013. "Does a good central banker make a difference?," Research Papers in Economics 2013-08, University of Trier, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:trr:wpaper:201308
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Central banking; monetary policy; nearest neighbor matching;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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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