Monetary policy, macroeconomic policy mix and economic performance in the Euro area

Eckhard Hein and Achim Truger

No 06-2006, IMK Working Paper from IMK at the Hans Boeckler Foundation, Macroeconomic Policy Institute

Abstract: In order to explain slow growth and high unemployment in the Euro area, in particular if compared to the USA, we follow a macroeconomic policy view focussing on the more restrictive stance of monetary, fiscal and wage policies in the Euro area. In the present paper we focus on the particular role of monetary policy, because the European Central Bank (ECB) seems to be the major obstacle to higher growth and employment. Analysing the macroeconomic policy mix, wage policies and fiscal policies are taken into account at the outset, but then the determinants of ECB policies are assessed in more detail. Our analysis confirms that it is the ECB's overemphasising a too low inflation target which is a major problem for macroeconomic performance in the Euro area. The ECB is too exclusively occupied with inflation and wage developments and pays too little attention to the development of real variables. In order to improve growth and employment and to limit the risks of deflation in the largest economy of the Euro area, Germany, it is therefore required that the ECB raises its inflation target and that the central bank focuses more on real economic activity.

Keywords: Monetary policy; macroeconomic policy mix; Euro area (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E52 E58 E61 E63 E65 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 28 pages
Date: 2006-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cba, nep-mac and nep-mon
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Chapter: Monetary Policy, Macroeconomic Policy Mix and Economic Performance in the Euro Area (2007)
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