The recent literature on macroprudential policy contains several suggestions for possible instruments. This paper puts forward and implements a method for arriving at a coherent policy framework. It starts by defining the role of macroprudential policy in the overall policy framework for the...

This paper explores the determinants of deviations of ex-post budget outcomes from first-release outcomes published towards the end of the year of budget implementation. The predictive content of the first-release outcomes is important, because these figures are an input for the next budget and...

This paper evaluates adherence of EU member states to the agreed policy recommendations to (i) redirect public expenditure towards growth-enhancing items and (ii) to improve the efficiency and control of public expenditure. Results show that countries that have been at the forefront of...

We investigate the track record of multi-annual budgetary plans of EU Member States formulated in the Stability and Convergence Programmes and updates. The study is based on the analysis of an original database summarizing the main macroeconomic and budgetary variables projected by the Member...

This paper investigates the effects of self-enforced expenditure rules on fiscal behaviour. According to theory, such rules can restrain spending biases if the political and institutional costs of non-compliance are sufficiently large. The empirical analysis indicates that the institutional...

Attention from policymakers tends to concentrate on the short-term effects of crisis policies on growth and financial stability. This paper investigates side-effects of current crisis policies from the perspective of the classic debate between Keynes and Hayek. It argues that three issues remain...

The rise of new forms of private money is reviving a long-standing debate on the appropriate balance between private and public interests in money and payments. The main aim of this paper is to explore an integrated policy analysis of various digital assets that may function as money: bank...

This paper draws lessons on the central bank underpinnings of money from the rise and fall of the Bank of Amsterdam (1609-1820). The Bank started out as a "stablecoin": it issued deposits backed by silver and gold coins, and settled payments by transfers across deposits. Over time, it performed...

Financial supervision focuses on the aggregate (macroprudential) in addition to the individual (microprudential). But an agreed framework for measuring and addressing financial imbalances is lacking. We propose a holistic approach for the financial system as a whole, beyond banking. Building on...

Systemically important banks are subject to at least two departures from the neutrality of debt versus equity financing: the tax deductibility of interest payments and implicit funding subsidies. This paper fills a gap in the literature by comparing their mechanism and interaction within a...