Swiss perspectives in 10 languages

Geldcast Update: Why are central banks independent? Case study: Brazil

Tower block
Reuters

The new Brazilian president is putting a lot of pressure on his central bank. But how is he doing this? And how independent are central banks really?

How independent should a central bank be? This question is a perennial issue in the monetary policy debate. Recently it has gained momentum because the new Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, is putting his central bank under a lot of pressure. He even threatened to dismiss the central bank governor.

In the latest Geldcast Update, we take a closer look at this case: how exactly is the Brazilian president putting pressure on the central bank? What levers of power does he have? And why are most central banks independent in the first place?

External Content

From stock exchanges and bitcoin to inflation and monetary policy – the Geldcast Update features the latest from the world of international finance. Clear and entertaining for everyone who wants to stay up to date. The podcast is hosted by monetary economist and business journalist Fabio Canetg.

Subscribe to the Geldcast update in English on YouTubeExternal link. And you can find many more episodes in German on iTunesExternal linkSpotifyExternal link, or wherever you get your podcasts. 

Author Fabio Canetg completed his doctorate in monetary policy at the University of Bern and the Toulouse School of Economics. Today he is a lecturer at the University of Bern. As a journalist, he works for SRF Arena, Republik Magazin and SWI swissinfo.ch, where he hosts the monetary policy podcast “Geldcast”.

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!

If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR