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Inflation Targeting: To Forecast or to Simulate?

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  • Michal Skorepa
  • Viktor Kotlan

Abstract

Inflation targeting is a regime based to a great extent on communication and, more specifically, on using and communicating assessments of future inflation. The central banking literature, however, devotes surprisingly little attention to some important issues connected with such assessments. There are some non-trivial choices that need to be made regarding future inflation assessments on three distinct levels: construction, decision making and communication. One of the most important choices relates to the treatment of the central bank's behaviour within the assessment. We first differentiate between two basic ways of assessing future inflation: forecast and simulation. A forecast is the most likely picture of the future. In a forecast, all agents are assumed to behave in the most likely way. A simulation, on the other hand, is the most likely picture of the future if the behaviour of one agent follows a predetermined path or is generated using a selected reaction function. The path or reaction function ascribed to the agent does not have to be the most likely one. After differentiating between a forecast and a simulation, we discuss the pros and cons of using the two ways of assessing future inflation on the three abovementioned levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Michal Skorepa & Viktor Kotlan, 2003. "Inflation Targeting: To Forecast or to Simulate?," Research and Policy Notes 2003/01, Czech National Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:cnb:rpnrpn:2003/01
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Viktor Kotlán & David Navrátil, 2003. "Inflation Targeting as a Stabilization Tool: Its Design and Performance in the Czech Republic," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 53(5-6), pages 220-242, May.
    2. Michal Skořepa & Viktor Kotlán, 2006. "Inflation Targeting: To Forecast or To Simulate?," Prague Economic Papers, Prague University of Economics and Business, vol. 2006(4), pages 300-314.
    3. David Navrátil & Viktor Kotlán, 2005. "Is the CNB Predictable?," Czech Journal of Economics and Finance (Finance a uver), Charles University Prague, Faculty of Social Sciences, vol. 55(7-8), pages 333-343, July.

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    More about this item

    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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