Central Banking and Monetary Policy in Muslim-Majority Countries

This book reviews key aspects of central banking and monetary policy in selected Muslim-majority countries. While reviewing country-specific experiences and issues in inflation and monetary policy, and analysing them from an historical context, emphasis is given to the evolution of Islamic banking and finance and the consequent institutional developments for maintaining price stability. One recurring theme is that, although Islamic banking and finance may have created some complexities, it remains consistent with Classical monetary theory and has created opportunities for improving the infrastructure of central banks and monetary policy to maintain both price and economic stability. The introduction of Islamic banking and finance strengthens the argument for low and stable inflation and rule-based monetary policy. Monetary policy frameworks in these countries include exchange-rate pegging, monetary targeting and inflation targeting under varied restrictions on capital flows. Macroeconomic problems under these regimes are also highlighted and their policy implications drawn.