Norges Bank

Staff Memo

Comparing monetary policy transparency. The Eijffinger and Geraats index - a comment

Author:
Carl Andreas Claussen
Series:
Staff Memo
Number:
10/2008

Introduction
There is by now a large volume of literature on central bank transparency and communication. One branch of this literature compares transparency across central banks and over time. Recent contributions in this vein are Eijffinger and Geraats (2006), Dincer and Eichengreen (2007), and Geraats (2008), who all use an index developed by Eijffinger and Geraats (2006). In this note I argue that the index can be very misleading. The argument is illustrated by the case of Norway, which has received a relatively low score on the index.

Staff Memos present reports and documentation written by staff members and affiliates of Norges Bank, the central bank of Norway. Views and conclusions expressed in Staff Memos should not be taken to represent the views of Norges Bank.

ISSN 1504-2596 (online)

Published 17 November 2008 09:00
Published 17 November 2008 09:00