Discuss advantages and disadvantages of inflation targeting, with special references to the case of the UK.
1.0 Introduction: Prosperity, success and economic growth are largely perceived as created by free markets and private enterprise. However the need for government policy to promote economic growth as well as stability cannot be overlooked. Monetary policy has emerged as one of the most crucial government responsibilities this is due to a number of reasons. Firstly there is now a general agreement that low, stable inflation is important for growth and that ‘monetary policy is the most direct determinant of inflation’. Secondly monetary policy has ‘proven to be the most flexible instrument for achieving medium term stabilisation
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Furthermore in the long run the inflation rate is the only macroeconomic variable that monetary policy can affect. ▪ High rates of inflation are harmful to economic efficiency and growth. ▪ Inflation targeting serves as a ‘nominal anchor’ for monetary policy. It therefore provides a focus for the expectations of financial markets and the general public.[6]
2.1 Benefits of Inflation Targeting: Inflation targeting has several advantages, one being that it is easily understood by the public and thus highly transparent so inflation targeting enhances transparency. Following on from this having an explicit numerical target for inflation increases the accountability of the central bank, inflation targeting has the ability to reduce the likelihood that the central bank will fall into the time-inconsistency trap. Time inconsistency, ‘describes a situation where a decision-maker's preferences change over time, such that what is preferred at one point in time is inconsistent with what is preferred at another point in time’.[7] Time inconsistency forces the authorities in considering long term consequences of short term actions. This is because inflation targeting has the advantage of ‘focusing on what a central bank can do in the long-run i.e. control inflation rather than what it cannot
There are also many economists who would agree with the claim that zero inflation is the optimal rate of inflation. This claim employs
The United States inflation rates are a problem, if the government were to control them then the United States would flourish from a “B+” economy to a “A” economy. In the United States (September, 2015) consumer prices went up 1.5%,
2. What is inflation and how does the Fed attempt to prevent and curtail it?
This is an example of complicating the policy response. In recent years, a singular emphasis on targeting inflation has come to dominate debates on macroeconomic policy with strong calls to leave monetary and foreign exchange policies to an independent central bank. However, whatever the specific tools employed and regardless of who controls them, fighting inflation usually leads to higher unemployment and the risk of lower investment and growth in the medium term.
The Federal Reserve Act lays out the monetary policy that states that the Board of Governors and the Federal Open Market Committee should look for "to support effectively the aims of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates." The pre-requirement for highest sustainable growth and employment rates along with long term interest rates is price stability in the long run. Long run stable prices prevents merchandise, services, materials and labor from getting distorted by inflation and hence turn out to be good indicators to the proficient distribution of resources and consequently add to better and higher standards of living (Meyer, 2004). Moreover, price stability promotes saving and generates capital since the risk of inflation causing attrition of asset values is decreased and hence people are driven to save more and business tend to invest more.
Most people don’t understand Economic growth or what takes place in the economy with regard to inflation, unemployment, or interest rates. These things are all regulated by the central bank called the Federal Reserve System. The tope covered in this paper is the monetary policy which is the policy that decides if unemployment, interest, and inflation decreases or increases. The Monetary policy decides what price a person pays for an item at the store, how much interest a person will get charged on a loan for a car. This is something most people consider, most just look for the best price point or look where their money can go the farthest.
It widely recognized that the monetary policy within a country should be primarily concerned with the pursuit of price stability. However, it is still not clear how this objective can be achieved most effectively. This debate remains unsettled, but an increasing number of countries have adopted inflation targeting as their monetary policy framework. (Dr E J van der Merwe, 2002) This topic of Inflation targeting is a subject which immediately conjures different perceptions from different people. Many feel that low inflation should be a main aim of monetary policy, while others (such as trade union activists) believe that a higher growth rate to stimulate jobs should be the main concern.
Another area the RBA seeks to play a role in is controlling inflation levels, targeting limiting consumer price inflation to 2-3 percent.
Monetary policy is the national macroeconomic regulation and control of two basic policies. It’s mainly work by implementing expansionary policies to adjust the relationship between social total supply and total demand. They have emphasized particularly on, and closely linked. And it must handle the relationship accurately and correctly. According to the actual situation and using the monetary policy, coordinate and flexible, to give full play to its due role. The government should ensure sustained, rapid and healthy development of national economy. The country to adjust the social capital supply and demand should as far as possible to avoid administrative interference, and should use economic means to guide, when the monetary policy effect is not obvious, fiscal policy should play a leading role.
Inflation; ‘a situation in which prices rise in order to keep up with increased production costs… result[ing] [in] the purchasing power of money fall[ing]’ (Collin:101) is quickly becoming a problem for the government of the United Kingdom in these post-recession years. The economic recovery, essential to the wellbeing of the British economy, may be in jeopardy as inflation continues to rise, reducing the purchasing power of the public. This, in turn, reduces demand for goods and services, and could potentially plummet the UK back into recession. This essay discusses the causes of inflation, policy options available to the UK government and the Bank of England (the central bank of the UK responsible for monetary policy), and the effects
Inflation is a possible cause of higher unemployment in the medium term if one country experiences a much higher rate of inflation than another, leading to a loss of international competitiveness and a subsequent worsening of their trade performance. If inflation in the UK is persistently above our major trading partners, British exporters may struggle to maintain their share in overseas markets and import penetration into the UK domestic market will grow. Both trends could lead to a worsening balance of payments. The UK government believes that monetary stability (i.e. low inflation) is a precondition for sustained economic expansion. As the chart below demonstrates, the UK has made progress in reducing the volatility of its inflation rate in the last decade. The era of high and volatile inflation may have come to an end.
Since the global financial crisis of 2008, the UK government has been implementing various policies to combat the recession and stimulate economic growth. This essay will look at how effective the fiscal and monetary policies used since the crisis are in achieving the four-macro economic objectives. In addition, I will provide my input on the best way the UK government can carry out these policies.
In September 2008, thousands of financial sectors all over the world went bankrupt like dominoes after the failure of Lehman Brothers Bank, which is also known as the Financial Crisis of 2008, caused the severe recession of the economies around the world. In order to help the country out of crisis, the central banks in different countries had to take measures to stimulate the growth of economy. The goal of this essay is to introduce the measures that Bank of England have taken in 2008 of financial crisis and will discuss the macroeconomics consequences and effects. Three measures taken by Bank of England will be presented in first section and how macroeconomics outcomes influenced by policies and objectives will be discussed in the second section.
When looking at the advantages and disadvantages of inflation, it is important to consider what type of inflation is occurring. For example,
Monetary policy involves manipulating the interest rate charged by the central bank for lending money to the banking system in an economy, which influences greatly a vast number of macroeconomic variables. In the UK, the government set the policy targets, but the Bank of England and the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) are given authority and freedom to set interest rates, which is formally once every month. Contractionary monetary policy may be used to reduce price inflation by increasing the interest rate. Because banks have to pay more to borrow from the central bank they will increase the interest rates they charge their own customers for loans to recover the increased cost. Banks will also raise interest rates to encourage people to save more in bank deposit accounts so they can reduce their own borrowing from the central bank. As interest rates rise, consumers may save more and borrow less to spend on goods and services. Firms may also reduce the amount of money they borrow to invest in new equipment. A