MPIfG Hosts Conference on Politics of Central Banking

Twenty-five researchers from Germany and Europe gathered at the MPIfG in Cologne at the beginning of June for the conference “The Politics of Central Banking.” Monetary policies have increasingly become repoliticized in advanced economies since the global financial crisis. The increasing use of unconventional monetary policies had major distributive consequences, which dragged central banks into the realm of noisy politics. In light of this development, the conference participants discussed where the politics of central banking is headed: Has politicization put an end to central banking as we know it, or will the technocratization of macroeconomic policymaking continue? If so, do any potential benefits outweigh the downsides for democratic expression and participation? The conference organizers were Benjamin Braun and Björn Bremer (both MPIfG).