How should governments and
central banks use monetary policy to create a healthy economy? Traditionally, policymakers
have used such strategies as controlling the growth of the money supply or pegging the
exchange rate to a stable currency. In recent years a promising new approach has emerged:
publicly announcing and pursuing specific targets for the rate of inflation. This book is
the first in-depth study of inflation targeting. Combining penetrating theoretical
analysis with detailed empirical studies of countries where inflation targeting has been
adopted, the authors show that the strategy has clear advantages over traditional
policies. They argue that the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank should
adopt this strategy, and they make specific proposals for doing so.
The book begins by
explaining the unique features and advantages of inflation targeting. The authors argue
that the simplicity and openness of inflation targeting make it far easier for the public
to understand the intent and effects of monetary policy. This strategy also increases
policymakers' accountability for inflation performance and can accommodate flexible, even
"discretionary," monetary policy actions without sacrificing central banks'
credibility. The authors examine how well variants of this approach have worked in nine
countries: Germany and Switzerland (which employ a money-focused form of inflation
targeting), New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Israel, Spain, and Australia.
They show that these countries have typically seen lower inflation, lower inflation
expectations, and lower nominal interest rates, and have found that one-time shocks to the
price level have less of a "pass-through" effect on inflation. These effects, in
turn, are improving the climate for economic growth. The authors warn, however, that the
success of inflation targeting depends on operational details, such as how the targets are
defined and when they are announced. They also show that inflation targeting is not a
panacea that can make inflation perfectly predictable or reduce it without economic costs.
Clear, balanced, and
authoritative, Inflation Targeting is a groundbreaking study that will have a major impact
on the debate over the right monetary strategy for the coming decades. As a unique
comparative study of what central banks actually do in different countries around the
world, this book will also be invaluable to anyone interested in how economic policy is
made.
Reviews:
"Bernanke et al.
provide a coherent and well-structured analysis of IT that will be essential reading for
central bankers and academics interested in simply understanding IT, or contemplating an
IT regime themselves. The volume is rich in detail about the individual experiences of the
various inflation targeting countries."--Journal of Economics
"A groundbreaking study
that will be likely to have a major impact on the debate over the right monetary strategy
for the coming years. As many countries currently think of adopting inflation targeting in
one form or another, the arrival of this book could not be more
timely."--Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv, Review of World Economics
"This readable and
well-structured examination of a relatively new approach to guiding monetary policy is a
useful addition to contemporary policy analysis."--Choice
Endorsement:
"The most accessible
study of this important new monetary regime--accessible to a wide range of readers well
beyond the ranks of professional economists. [Inflation Targeting] should, and is intended
to, appeal to historians, political scientists, international-relations students,
politicians, central bankers, journalists, as well as to economists and to undergraduates
at any level of sophistication."--C.A.E. Goodhart, London School of Economics and
external member of the United Kingdom's Monetary Policy Committee
380 pages