Waubonsee Community College

The Federal Reserve, what everyone needs to know, Stephen H. Axilrod

eng

illustrationsmaps

no index present

non fiction

The Federal Reserve

810533907

Stephen H. Axilrod

what everyone needs to know

1: Introduction. Why is the Federal Reserve (the Fed) so important to the country? ; When and why was the Fed founded? ; How did the Fed evolve? ; How in general does the Fed compare with other central banks? ; How does a central bank differ from other banks and financial institutions? ; How do the Fed's unique policy instruments affect the nation's economy as a whole? ; If so crucial to national policy, why is the Fed independent of the government? -- 2: The Fed's organization for policy. Where does responsibility for monetary policy decisions reside in the Fed? ; What does the FOMC do and how is it organized? ; How are other monetary policy instruments controlled? ; How is the politically appointed Board of Governors chosen? ; How are Reserve Banks governed? ; What role do Reserve Banks play in the policy process? ; Should the regional structure of the Fed be modified for today's world? ; Should reserve bank presidents be politically appointed? ; Do member banks and directors of Federal Reserve Banks unduly profit or exert influence? ; What happens to the profits from Fed operations? ; What is the underlying connection between the government and the Fed? ; How does the government keep tabs on the Fed? ; What does it mean in practice to say the Fed is independent? -- 3: Basic monetary policy objectives. What are the Fed's basic objectives? ; How does the Fed take account of long-run economic goals? ; What role does the Fed chairman play in focusing the institution's goals? ; In what sense are the Fed's monetary policy objectives compatible with each other? ; What does price stability mean? ; What makes the Fed prefer a little rather than no inflation as its practical goal? ; What inflation rate seems to satisfy the goal of price stability? ; Has the Fed specified a target rate of inflation? -- 4: Instruments of monetary policy. How are the Fed's monetary instruments employed in the policy process? ; Which of the Fed's instruments are most significant for implementing policy? ; How are open market operations employed in policy implementation? ; How does the federal funds rate connect with money market conditions in general? ; How does the funds rate decision affect other credit markets? ; How do key borrowers respond to changed market conditions? ; How do FOMC policy decisions adapt to market uncertainties? ; How do open market operations avoid creating too much money and inflation? ; Does the money market itself influence spending or is it mostly a policy conduit? ; Are the Fed's powers also used to influence the government securities market? -- 5: The formulation and communication of monetary policy. What is the institutional structure for monetary policy decisions? ; What material is provided to the FOMC for discussion of the economic outlook? ; What material is provided to help the Committee form its monetary policy decision? ; How do Committee members construct their discussion of the economy and monetary policy? ; What, in general, are the main influences on the Fed's policy decision? ; How do Committee members frame and communicate their decision about policy? ; How influential is the chairman in the policy votes? ; Why has the Fed become much more open about policy in recent decades? ; Can there be too much openness? -- 6: The Fed's role, other domestic policies, and conditions abroad. What policies outside the Fed's control most influence its policy effectiveness? ; How do fiscal and monetary policies best fit together? ; How are decisions about coordinate roles of fiscal and monetary policies make it practice? ; How do regulatory issues relate to monetary policy and its dual economic objectives? ; How does the Fed's own regularity authority fit into the nation's regulatory structure? ; How has the Dodd-Frank Act influenced the Fed's regulatory stance? ; How might the Fed better integrate monetary and regulatory policies? ; How is Fed policy influenced by policies and conditions abroad? ; Will the Fed's ability to make monetary policy decisions on purely domestic grounds be significantly lessened by further integration of world financial markets? -- 7: The Fed's two great postwar crises. In what ways are the two great postwar crises similar? ; How did the Fed becomes involved in the great inflation's onset? ; How did the Fed control inflation and regain credibility? ; What again destabilized the economic and financial background for Fed policy? ; How did the Fed become involved in the great credit crisis? ; What actions did the Fed take to help contain the crisis? ; What activities did the Fed take to help contain the crisis? ; How did the Fed contribute to the recovery? ; What lessons can be learned from the Fed's management of the two great postwar crises? -- 8: Conclusion. What major challenges face the Fed as an organization in the future? ; How well has the Fed served the country? -- Appendix A-1 -- Appendix A-2