Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Politics

Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Politics PDF Author: Torsten Persson
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262660884
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 476

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Book Description
This is the first of two volumes on a theory of macroeconomic policy that analyzes which policies are credible or politically feasible. Instead of looking at policy as an end product, the contributors approach policy as an ongoing process of revised goals, changes in tactics, and political pressures. They consider what kinds of incentives within different institutional settings, drive policy-making and the behaviour of policy-makers. The approach explains why certain monetary and fiscal policies are implemented, and provides insights into situations that occur repeatedly in macroeconomic policy, such as the bias toward government deficits, partisan competition and central bank independence.

Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Politics

Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Politics PDF Author: Torsten Persson
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 9780262660884
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 476

Get Book

Book Description
This is the first of two volumes on a theory of macroeconomic policy that analyzes which policies are credible or politically feasible. Instead of looking at policy as an end product, the contributors approach policy as an ongoing process of revised goals, changes in tactics, and political pressures. They consider what kinds of incentives within different institutional settings, drive policy-making and the behaviour of policy-makers. The approach explains why certain monetary and fiscal policies are implemented, and provides insights into situations that occur repeatedly in macroeconomic policy, such as the bias toward government deficits, partisan competition and central bank independence.

Macroeconomic Policy, Credibility and Politics

Macroeconomic Policy, Credibility and Politics PDF Author: T. Persson
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135645590
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 200

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Book Description
Uses a game theoretic approach to explore which economic policies are 'credible' and 'politically feasible', questions that had eluded traditional macroeconomic approaches.

Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policies

Coordination of Monetary and Fiscal Policies PDF Author: International Monetary Fund
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451844239
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 33

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Book Description
Recently, monetary authorities have increasingly focused on implementing policies to ensure price stability and strengthen central bank independence. Simultaneously, in the fiscal area, market development has allowed public debt managers to focus more on cost minimization. This “divorce” of monetary and debt management functions in no way lessens the need for effective coordination of monetary and fiscal policy if overall economic performance is to be optimized and maintained in the long term. This paper analyzes these issues based on a review of the relevant literature and of country experiences from an institutional and operational perspective.

Promoting Fiscal Discipline

Promoting Fiscal Discipline PDF Author: Mr.Manmohan S. Kumar
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 158906609X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
Fiscal discipline is essential to improve and sustain economic performance, maintain macroeconomic stability, and reduce vulnerabilities. Discipline is especially important if countries, industrial as well as developing, are to successfully meet the challenges, and reap the benefits, of economic and financial globalization. Lack of fiscal discipline generally stems from the injudicious use of policy discretion. The benefits of discretion are seen in terms of the ability of policymakers to respond to unexpected shocks and in allowing elected political representatives to fulfill their mandates. But discretion can be misused, resulting in persistent deficits and procyclical policies, rising debt levels, and, over time, a loss in policy credibility. The authors first explore the role of discretion in fiscal policy, and the extent, consequences, and causes of procyclicality, particularly in good times. They then examine how a variety of institutional approaches—fiscal rules, fiscal responsibility laws, and fiscal agencies—can help improve fiscal discipline. While each of these approaches can play a useful role, the authors suggest that a strategy combining them is likely to be particularly beneficial. Although such a strategy requires political commitment and effective fiscal management, at the same time, the strategy itself can bolster political commitment by highlighting the restraints on government and raising the costs of failing to respect them.

Central Bank Financial Strength, Transparency, and Policy Credibility

Central Bank Financial Strength, Transparency, and Policy Credibility PDF Author: Peter Stella
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
A central bank is financially strong if it possesses resources sufficient to attain its fundamental policy objective(s). Once endowed with those resources, relations between government and central bank should be designed so that significant changes in central bank financial strength do not occur unless necessitated by changes in policy objectives. The level of strength required depends on the array of policy objectives (for example, the exchange rate regime) as well as the constraints and risks presented by the operational environment. Attaining credibility is facilitated if the public can easily determine the financial strength of the bank, yet for a variety of reasons this is often difficult. Transparency requires institutional arrangements that ensure the central bank generates profit in most states of the world, is subject to strict ex post independent audit, and transfers regularly all profits, after provisions, to the treasury.

Fiscal Policy Rules

Fiscal Policy Rules PDF Author: Mr.George Kopits
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 9781557757043
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 58

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Book Description
What are fiscal policy rules? What are the principal benefits and drawbacks associated with various fiscal rules, particularly compared with alternative approaches to fiscal adjustment? Can fiscal rules contribute to long-run sustainability and welfare without sacrificing short-run stabilization? If so, what characteristics of fiscal rules make this contribution most effective? And in what circumstances and contexts, if any should the IMF encourage its member countries to adopt fiscal rules? This paper seeks to identify sensible fiscal policy rules that can succeed, if chosen by a member country, as an alternative to descretionary fiscal rules.

Strengthening Post-Crisis Fiscal Credibility

Strengthening Post-Crisis Fiscal Credibility PDF Author: Mr.Xavier Debrun
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 147552515X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 35

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Book Description
Institutions aimed at constraining policy discretion to promote sound fiscal policies are once again at the forefront of the policy debate. Interest in “fiscal councils,” independent watchdogs active in the public debate, has grown rapidly in recent years. This paper presents the first cross-country dataset summarizing key characteristics of fiscal councils among IMF members. The data documents a surge in the number of fiscal councils since the crisis. It also illustrates that well-designed fiscal councils are associated with stronger fiscal performance and better macroeconomic and budgetary forecasts. Key features of effective fiscal councils include operational independence from politics, the provision or public assessment of budgetary forecasts, a strong presence in the public debate, and the monitoring of compliance with fiscal policy rules.

Credibility of Central Bank Independence Revisited

Credibility of Central Bank Independence Revisited PDF Author: Mr.Timo Valila
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451841744
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 17

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Book Description
The specific role of central bank independence in determining the overall credibility of monetary policy is addressed in this paper. It is argued that the credibility of delegating monetary policy to an independent central bank is endogenous to the credibility of the inflation target because a “conservative” inflation target may not be compatible with the fiscal policy stance. Also, lack of transparency in designing the institutional set-up is shown to be welfare-reducing.

Confidence, Credibility and Macroeconomic Policy

Confidence, Credibility and Macroeconomic Policy PDF Author: Richard Burdekin
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1134851235
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 238

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Book Description
The results of macroeconomic policy are often unpredictable. One of the major reasons for this is the importance of confidence and expectations in economic affairs. Confidence, Credibility and Macroeconomic Policy explores this interaction between confidence and expectations, and the credibility of the government's financial policies. The volume is divided into three parts. * An overview of the inter-relationship between fiscal policy, credibility and inflation * Empirical research on the importance of public confidence and expectations to the success of fiscal and monetary policy. * The definition and functions of consumer confidence as it is measured today. Confidence, Credibility and Macroeconomic Policy will be an invaluable guide for all those interested in macroeconomic policy.

Central Bank Independence, Targets, and Credibility

Central Bank Independence, Targets, and Credibility PDF Author: Francesco Lippi
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781782542971
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 180

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Book Description
This book integrates new political and economic elements into the analysis of monetary policy credibility and central bank independence. The author considers imperfect monetary control, rational voters, distributional issues and uncertainty about future policy objectives in his welfare analysis of central banking. The role played by the different institutional elements that contribute to the making of an independent central bank is also assessed. A distinction is made between central bank independence and targets offering new insights into how a more inflation averse monetary policy may actually be achieved. Finally, explanations for the variation of central bank independence and conservatism across different countries are provided. This book will appeal to researchers, academics and policy makers in the fields of monetary policy, financial economics, money and banking and political economy.