Revisiting Public Debt and Inflation: Fiscal Implications of an Independent Central Banker

Abstract

The mainstream literature on monetary policy games under output persistence posits that: a) monetary regimes do not affect real variables in the steady state; b) optimal institutional design should entirely remove the inflation bias. We show that neither result necessarily holds if output persistence originates from debt dynamics and distortionary taxation. First, monetary delegation induces a strategic use of debt policy affecting steady-state distortions. Second, the reduction of such distortions may require monetary institutions that tolerate an inflation rate above the socially optimal level.