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The institutions of the people, by the people and for the people? Addressing central banks' power and social responsibility in a democracy

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  • Louis-Philippe Rochon

    (Laurentian University, Toronto (Canada))

  • Guillaume Vallet

    (University of Grenoble Alpes (France))

Abstract

This paper sheds light on an overlooked issue in economics, namely the social responsibility of central banks in a democracy. We consider central banks as institutions of power, and, as such, neither are they nor their policies neutral, in the sense that there are inevitable winners and losers. In this context, we explain why and how their power should be regulated and controlled by society. Specifically, we focus on the income distributive nature of monetary policy to demonstrate this assertion. From this, we explain that the time is ripe to build a new framework for central banking aiming at improving central banks’ social responsibility consistent with the spirit of a democratic system, and resting on new rules, new types of inner organization and, more broadly, an ethics of responsibility of a new kind

Suggested Citation

  • Louis-Philippe Rochon & Guillaume Vallet, 2022. "The institutions of the people, by the people and for the people? Addressing central banks' power and social responsibility in a democracy," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 75(301), pages 83-102.
    • Handle: RePEc:psl:pslqrr:2022:21
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jacopo Temperini & Marcella Corsi, 2023. "Democratizing money? The role of cryptocurrencies," PSL Quarterly Review, Economia civile, vol. 76(304), pages 51-66.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    central banks; central bankers; power; social responsibility; democracy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • B55 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Social Economics
    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • 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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