The purpose of this study is to assess the current state of understanding about the effects of monetary policy, both at the conceptual level and in the light of the experience of the seven major OECD countries (the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada) and three selected smaller open economies (Australia, the Netherlands and Sweden) since the early 1970s (1). Over this period, there have been substantial developments in the policy making environment and in the conduct and implementation of monetary policy which may have significantly affected the way monetary variables influence the real sector of the economy.

A. Changes in the macroeconomic and financial environment and their implications for policy making

Since the early 1970s there has been a general deterioration in the macroeconomic situation in OECD countries. These have been subjected to large supply shocks, to substantial changes in the rate of inflation, to slow economic growth, to ...