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The German Federal Constitutional Court ruling and the European Central Bank's strategy

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  • Feld, Lars P.
  • Wieland, Volker

Abstract

The ruling of the German Federal Constitutional Court and its call for conducting and communicating proportionality assessments regarding monetary policy have been the subject of some controversy. However, it can also be understood as a way to strengthen the de-facto independence of the European Central Bank. The authors shows how a regular proportionality check could be integrated in the ECB's strategy that is currently undergoing a systematic review. In particular, they propose to include quantitative benchmarks for policy rates and the central bank balance sheet. Deviations from such benchmarks can have benefits in terms of the intended path for inflation while involving costs in terms of risks and side effects that need to be balanced. Practical applications to the euro area are provided

Suggested Citation

  • Feld, Lars P. & Wieland, Volker, 2020. "The German Federal Constitutional Court ruling and the European Central Bank's strategy," IMFS Working Paper Series 145, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:imfswp:145
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    Cited by:

    1. Wieland, Volker, 2021. "The decline in euro area inflation and the choice of policy strategy," IMFS Working Paper Series 159, Goethe University Frankfurt, Institute for Monetary and Financial Stability (IMFS).
    2. Boehl, Gregor, 2022. "Efficient solution and computation of models with occasionally binding constraints," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).
    3. Feld, Lars P. & Fuest, Clemens & Haucap, Justus & Schweitzer, Heike & Wieland, Volker & Wigger, Berthold U., 2021. "The monetary policy strategy of the European Central Bank: Review and recommendations," Kronberger Kreis-Studien 67e, Stiftung Marktwirtschaft / The Market Economy Foundation, Berlin.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    central bank independence; monetary law; monetary institutions; monetary policy strategy; proportionality; policy rules; quantitative easing;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • 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
    • K10 - Law and Economics - - Basic Areas of Law - - - General (Constitutional Law)

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