Publications

Green Money Without Inflation

| 7 March 2019
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Environment, European Central Bank, Inflation, Quantitative Easing
To what extent can the money created by the central bank be used to finance investments in the environment? This is a question that is often asked today. The green activists respond with enthusiasm that the central bank, and in particular the European Central Bank ... continue reading

Prudential Regulation Can Help in Tackling Climate Change

, and | 13 February 2019
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Environment, Financial Regulation
Awareness of climate-related financial risks has been growing in the past years. Prudential frameworks however still fall short in reflecting them. Given the possible impacts of climate risks on financial stability, incorporating them into prudential regulation is rapidly moving up agendas both among academics and ... continue reading

Integrating Climate Risks into Credit Risk Assessment: Current Methodologies and the Case of Central Banks Corporate Bond Purchases

| 21 December 2018
Monetary, Discussion Notes | Tags: Climate Risk, Credit Risk, ECB Corporate Sector Purchase Programme
Climate change, and the transition to a low-carbon economy that can mitigate it, engender significant economic costs. These costs are ultimately borne by households and firms. They affect households’ and firms’ cash flows and wealth, which are key determinants of their credit worthiness. Climate-related costs ... continue reading

The Earned Income Tax Credit: Helping Families at a Surprisingly Low Cost

| 29 November 2018
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Inequality, Poverty, Tax Expenditures
Amid growing concerns over stagnant rates of intergenerational mobility, little to no wage growth for low-skilled workers, and declining rates of labor force participation, policymakers are interested in approaches to strengthen incentives to work, increase household income for disadvantaged families, and increase children’s economic opportunity. ... continue reading

International Economic Cooperation in Troubled Times: A Call for Strong Action by the G20

, , , , , , , and | 26 November 2018
Fiscal, Trade, Blog | Tags: Employment, G20, Investment, Protectionism, Services Trade, Tax Competition, Tax Expenditures
The leaders of the G20 will meet on 30 November and 1 December in Buenos Aires for their annual summit. They need to acknowledge that the last two years have been characterized by strong headwinds for the world economy. This time, however, it is not ... continue reading

Assessing Tax Expenditure Reporting in G20 and OECD Economies

and | 6 November 2018
Fiscal, Discussion Notes | Tags: G20, OECD, Tax Expenditures
Governments worldwide pursue public policy objectives through direct spending and tax expenditures (TEs). Interestingly though, and despite their significant impact on government budgets, TEs are opaque and very often not subject to the same level of scrutiny in the budget process as direct spending. This ... continue reading

Investor-State Dispute Settlement: An Anachronism Whose Time Has Gone

| 24 September 2018
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Investment, ISDS, Services Trade
Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) – a mechanism that allows foreign investors to bring claims against host governments to an international arbitral tribunal – is a postcolonial relic that should be abolished. ... continue reading

Central Banks Should Reflect Climate Risks in Monetary Policy Operations

| 10 September 2018
Monetary, Policy Briefs | Tags: Asset Purchases, Central Banks, Climate Risk, Collateral Framework
The transition to a low-carbon economy requires a shift in capital allocation from incumbent carbon-intensive technologies to new low-carbon technologies. Financial markets play a key role in this process: they influence firms’ investment costs and serve as reference point in investors’ decisions. Currently, there ... continue reading

Climate Change and Finance: What Role for Central Banks and Financial Regulators?

, , , , and | 7 September 2018
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Central Banks, Climate Change, Environment, Financial Regulation
Climate change poses risks to the financial system. Yet our understanding of these risks is still limited. As we explain in a recent paper published in Nature Climate Change, central banks and financial regulators could contribute to the development of methodologies and modelling tools for ... continue reading

Mend It, Don´t End It: The case for upgrading the G20’s pledge on protectionism

, , , , , , , , , , , , , and | 3 September 2018
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Protectionism, Services Trade
Despite neutering the official monitoring of protectionism, unmistakable evidence assembled from state sources demonstrates that G20 members routinely violate their “no protectionism” pledge. ... continue reading