Track: Monetary Policy & Banking

Adress urgent problems that affect economies

This track provides you with an understanding of how monetary policy and financial institutions affect economic performance. But also on how economic models can be used in the current policy debate.

After finishing this track you will be able to contribute your knowledge and input in the debates that shape continental central banking institutions and share your own academic views on them.

Track specific courses

Address for example urgent problems in the Euro zone, international financial supervision, microfinance, bank-runs and systemic risk, and taxation of financial institutions.

• Monetary Theory
• International Finance
• Financial Institutions & Banking
• Public Finance & Fiscal Policy

Electives

• Economic Growth
• Financial Regulation

Real-live case: monetary policy in Europe

Monetary policy and the financial system played a central role in the 2008 credit crisis. The European Central Bank was a key player in stabilising the Eurozone in the following debt crisis.

Economists and policy-makers now realise the importance of the financial system as a transmission channel through which problems in one country or sector can spread out and result in a worldwide recession. How to prevent this contagion? What is the role of expectations? And finally, what should the answer of monetary policy makers be in response to these economic fluctuations?

Part of 'Whatever it takes' speech of Mario Draghi (President European Central Bank). In 2012 he announces the outright monetary transactions to dampen fluctuations in sovereign bond yields of Eurozone countries.

Up-to-date issues

Examples of current newspaper headlines and relevant issues that could be discussed in your classroom.

• Does the transmission of monetary policy depend on inequalities within a country?
• Should central banks care about cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin?
• Is the supply of public debt relevant for banks’ decisions to provide credit for firms’ long-term investments?

Career prospects

Graduates of the Master's programme in Economics/Monetary Policy & Banking track have excellent job prospects for positions as researchers and experts in:

• Commercial banks

• National central banks
• ECB, and other international banking institutions including the EIB, the World Bank, the IMF and the EBRD
• National governments
• International organisations such as the EU
• Applied research institutes
• Nationally or internationally oriented consultancy firms.