Media Coverage and ECB Policy-Making: Evidence from a New Index

Hamza Bennani

No 2016-38, EconomiX Working Papers from University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX

Abstract: Using a novel index measuring media's uncertainty regarding the effectiveness of European Central Bank's (ECB) policy actions, this paper estimates the interest rate policy of the ECB with respect to media coverage of its monetary policy decisions. Our results suggest that the monetary institution implements a restrictive (accommodative) monetary policy, through its repo rate, in response to an increase (decrease) of the uncertainty expressed by the media concerning the effectiveness of its past policy actions, in particular since the global financial crisis. These results are robust when considering an alternative proxy of central bank's perceived effectiveness and ECB's unconventional policy measures in the estimation procedure. Our findings thus shed some light on the decision-making procedure of the ECB when the latter has to deal with the uncertain impact of its policy decisions as expressed by media coverage, and thus, address a critical issue related to the political economy of central banking.

Keywords: Monetary Policy; ECB; Public Media; Taylor Rule. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E43 E52 E58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 20 pages
Date: 2016
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-eec, nep-mac, nep-mon and nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:drm:wpaper:2016-38

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