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Monetary Policy Today: Sixteen Questions and about Twelve Answers

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  • Alan S. Blinder

    (Princeton University)

Abstract

My assignment is to survey the main questions swirling around monetary policy today. I emphasize three words in this sentence, each for a different reason. Main is because one person's side issue is another's main issue. So I had to be both selective and judgmental in compiling my list, else this paper would have been even longer than it is. Policy indicates that I have restricted myself to issues that are truly relevant to real-world policymakers, thus omitting many interesting but purely academic issues. Today means that I focus on current issues, thus passing over some illustrious past issues. All these omissions still leave a rather long list; so I will treat some issues quite briefly.

Suggested Citation

  • Alan S. Blinder, 2006. "Monetary Policy Today: Sixteen Questions and about Twelve Answers," Working Papers 73, Princeton University, Department of Economics, Center for Economic Policy Studies..
    • Handle: RePEc:pri:cepsud:129
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Ranaldo, Angelo & Rossi, Enzo, 2010. "The reaction of asset markets to Swiss National Bank communication," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 29(3), pages 486-503, April.
    3. Q. Akram, 2010. "What horizon for targeting inflation?," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 39(3), pages 675-702, December.
    4. Prasanna Gai & Sherry X. Wu, 2023. "On Market‐Friendly Central Bankers," The Economic Record, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 99(325), pages 238-252, June.
    5. Mary C. Daly, 2023. "What the Moment Demands," FRBSF Economic Letter, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, vol. 2023(30), pages 1-6, November.
    6. Kohei Hasui & Teruyoshi Kobayashi & Tomohiro Sugo, 2019. "Irreversible monetary policy at the zero lower bound," Discussion Papers 1906, Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University.
    7. Ravenna, Federico & Seppälä, Juha, 2006. "Monetary policy and rejections of the expectations hypothesis," Bank of Finland Research Discussion Papers 25/2006, Bank of Finland.
    8. Ronald Schettkat & Rongrong Sun, 2009. "Monetary policy and European unemployment," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 25(1), pages 94-108, Spring.
    9. repec:fgv:epgrbe:v:65:n:2:a:5 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. Juan José Echavarría Soto & Enrique López Enciso & Martha Misas Arango & Juana Téllez Corredor & Juan Carlos Parra Álvarez, 2007. "La Tasa de Interés Natural en Colombia," Revista ESPE - Ensayos Sobre Política Económica, Banco de la República, vol. 25(54), pages 44-89, June.
    11. Carl E. Walsh, 2013. "Announcements and the Role of Policy Guidance," Review, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, issue Nov, pages 575-600.
    12. 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.
    13. Perera, Roshan & Jayawickrema, Vishuddhi, 2014. "Monetary policy rules in practice: Evidence for Sri Lanka," MPRA Paper 95584, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    14. Hasui, Kohei & Kobayashi, Teruyoshi & Sugo, Tomohiro, 2021. "Optimal irreversible monetary policy," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 134(C).
    15. Paweł Baranowski, 2008. "Reguła Taylora i jej rozszerzenia," Gospodarka Narodowa. The Polish Journal of Economics, Warsaw School of Economics, issue 7-8, pages 1-23.
    16. Domenico D’Amico, 2007. "Buchanan on monetary constitutions," Constitutional Political Economy, Springer, vol. 18(4), pages 301-318, December.
    17. Hwang, In Do & Lustenberger, Thomas & Rossi, Enzo, 2021. "Does communication influence executives’ opinion of central bank policy?☆," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    18. Buiter, Willem, 2006. "How Robust is the New Conventional Wisdom? The Surprising Fragility of the Theoretical Foundations of Inflation Targeting and C," CEPR Discussion Papers 5772, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. Ricardo Ramalhete MOREIRA, 2015. "Reviewing Taylor rules for Brazil: was there a turning-point?," Journal of Economics and Political Economy, KSP Journals, vol. 2(2), pages 276-289, June.
    20. Alfonso Palacio Vera, 2009. "Some Reflections on the Theory of the “Liquidity Trap”," Documentos de trabajo de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales 09-02, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales.
    21. Alfonso Palacio Vera, 2008. "Money wage rigidity, monopoly power and hysteresis," Documentos de trabajo de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales 08-02, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales.
    22. Ms. Katerina Smídková & Viktor Kotlán & David Navrátil & Mr. Aleš Bulíř, 2008. "Inflation Targeting and Communication: It Pays Off to Read Inflation Reports," IMF Working Papers 2008/234, International Monetary Fund.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary policy;

    JEL classification:

    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E43 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Interest Rates: Determination, Term Structure, and Effects
    • 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
    • F31 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Foreign Exchange
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • R31 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Real Estate Markets, Spatial Production Analysis, and Firm Location - - - Housing Supply and Markets

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