Contributor: William White

“If Something Cannot Go on Forever, It Will Stop“

| 1 April 2021
Fiscal, Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Covid-19, Debt, Democracy, Environment, Financial Stability, Health Systems, Inequality, International Cooperation, Resilience
“If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” This famous observation was made by Herb Stein, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. It became famous largely because it was just that, obvious. Yet, what is no less obvious is that public policy is ... continue reading

Changing Landscapes for Central Banks and Financial Regulators

| 14 March 2019
Monetary, Discussion Notes | Tags: Central Banks, Governing Finance
This discussion note is an extended version of the introductory comments shared by the author at a CEP roundtable on “Governing Finance and Sustainability” in January 2019. It addresses in order the four issues raised in the convening’s agenda. First, what are the historical origins ... continue reading

The Distributional Implications of the Crisis and Policy Responses

| 8 December 2015
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Inequality, QE
The conduct of monetary policy over the last few years is totally unprecedented. Efforts have been made to influence all parts of the term structure of interest rates and credit spreads as well. Policy rates have been reduced essentially to zero. Forward guidance has also ... continue reading