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Identifying monetary policy: a primer

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  • Tao Zha

Abstract

The question of the quantitative effect of monetary policy has been of considerable debate for decades. Economists' beliefs about it stem largely from theoretical models that imply the effects of changing monetary policy, and different experiments or theories lead to different conclusions. The actual economy, however, is not the result of any such controlled experiment. In the real world, inferences about the quantitative effect of monetary policy must rely on observations of actual economic activity in which many variables are changing simultaneously. ; This article argues that to assess the actual effect of monetary policy requires understanding the interaction among all players in the economy-the central bank, financial market participants, producers, and consumers. The author first explains the conceptual importance of sorting out the central bank's behavior from that of the many other players. He then discusses difficulties involved in sorting out such a behavior in any given country. Finally, he illustrates this sorting-out process with a few examples in the economics literature.

Suggested Citation

  • Tao Zha, 1997. "Identifying monetary policy: a primer," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, vol. 82(Q 2), pages 26-43.
  • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedaer:y:1997:i:q2:p:26-43:n:v.82no.2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shawn Chen-Yu Leu, 2006. "A New Keynesian Perspective of Monetary Policy in Australia," Working Papers 2006.01, School of Economics, La Trobe University.
    2. Mauricio Villamizar-Villegas, 2016. "Identifying The Effects Of Simultaneous Monetary Policy Shocks," Contemporary Economic Policy, Western Economic Association International, vol. 34(2), pages 268-296, April.
    3. Hanson, Michael S., 2004. "The "price puzzle" reconsidered," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 51(7), pages 1385-1413, October.
    4. Mr. Ananthakrishnan Prasad & Mr. Raphael A Espinoza, 2012. "Monetary Policy Transmission in the GCC Countries," IMF Working Papers 2012/132, International Monetary Fund.
    5. Carlos Esteban Posada, 1997. "Una Presentación Gráfica de la Nueva Teoría de la Política Anti-Inflacionaria y el Caso Colombiano," Borradores de Economia 079, Banco de la Republica de Colombia.
    6. Lekgatlhamang Setlhare, 2004. "Bank Of Botswana'S Reaction Function: Modelling Botswana'S Monetary Policy Strategy," South African Journal of Economics, Economic Society of South Africa, vol. 72(2), pages 384-406, June.
    7. Hassan, Rubina & Shahzad, Mirza Muhammad, 2011. "A macroeconometric framework for monetary policy evaluation: A case study of Pakistan," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 28(1-2), pages 118-137, January.
    8. Mai, Nhat Chi, 2016. "Monetary policies and the macroeconomic performance of Vietnam," OSF Preprints akzy4, Center for Open Science.
    9. Victor Pontines, 2021. "The real effects of loan-to-value limits: empirical evidence from Korea," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(3), pages 1311-1350, September.
    10. Domac, Ilker, 1999. "The distributional consequences of monetary policy : evidence from Malaysia," Policy Research Working Paper Series 2170, The World Bank.
    11. Muhanji, Stella & Malikane, Christopher & Ojah, Kalu, 2013. "Price and liquidity puzzles of a monetary shock: Evidence from indebted African economies," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 620-630.
    12. Forhad, Abdur Rahman & Homaifar, Ghassem A. & Salimullah, Abul Hasnat Muhammed, 2017. "Monetary Policy Transmission Effect On The Real Sector Of The Bangladesh Economy: An Svar Approach," Economia Internazionale / International Economics, Camera di Commercio Industria Artigianato Agricoltura di Genova, vol. 70(1), pages 25-46.
    13. BIRMAN Andrei, 2012. "A VAR Analysis on the Monetary Policy Transmission Mechanism in Romania," European Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, Bucharest Economic Academy, issue 01, March.

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    Keywords

    Money supply; Monetary policy;

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