Volume 11, Supplement 1 September 2015

Inflation Targeting: A Victim of Its Own Success

Abstract

Since the introduction of inflation targeting, inflation expectations have become firmly anchored at target and there has been a flattening of the Phillips curve. These changes mean that a "divine coincidence" between headline inflation and output-gap stabilization is less apparent than when inflation targeting was introduced. This has led some to call for a fundamental reengineering of inflation-targeting regimes: either adopting explicit dual mandates or replacing headline inflation with a target inflation measure more closely related to domestic output gaps. We argue instead for an evolution in the practice of CPI inflation targeting. In practice, many central banks have already moved in this direction with the adoption of flexible inflation-targeting frameworks.

Authors

  • Christian Gillitzer
  • John Simon

JEL codes

  • E31
  • E52
  • E58

Other papers in this issue

Güneş Kamber and Özer Karagedikli and Christie Smith

Graeme Wheeler

Lars E.O. Svensson

Christine Garnier and Elmar Mertens and Edward Nelson

Matteo Cacciatore and Fabio Ghironi and Stephen J. Turnovsky

Troy Davig and Refet S. Gürkaynak