On the Futility and Hazards of Monetary Heroics

Abstract

The decentralized enterprise that sustains the dynamism of economies makes top-down monetary interventions, such as quantitative easing, that target aggregates such as overall inflation, futile. Moreover, economic stability and dynamism also require prudent, decentralized lending to decentralized borrowers. But, sustained monetary interventions aimed at aggregate inflation (or employment) targets induce imprudent credit extension, jeopardizing stability and dynamism.

Keywords: innovation, monetary policy, decentralization, quantitative easing

JEL Classification: E5, N20, O33