2024 Freebairn Lecture presented by Professor Renée Fry-McKibbin, ANU

Central Bank Reviews: An International Comparison

Why are central banks reviewed? Independence requires accountability which requires evaluation. From the Svennson Review of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand in 2001 to the Bernanke Review of the Bank of England in 2024, most central banks in developed countries have been reviewed, but the formats and frameworks differ. This lecture will discuss significant evaluations of central banks internationally. Topics covered include: Who initiates reviews and for what reason? What are the remits of the evaluations? Who were the evaluators? What are the common themes? How do key recommendations compare, and what was their uptake by central banks and governments? The lecture will conclude with reflections on the lessons from the reviews and the review process considered collectively.

2024 Freebairn Public Lecture presented by Professor Renée Fry-McKibbin, Australian National University

Renée Fry-McKibbin is a Distinguished Professor of Economics at the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis (CAMA), Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University and a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. She has two decades of expertise in analyzing policy-relevant research questions around international macroeconomic and financial market shocks and their effects, mainly for small, open, resource-rich economies like Australia. She directs three research programs in CAMA, is a research associate in both the Centre for Applied Macro and Petroleum Economics at the BI Norwegian Business School (2012-) and the H.O. Stekler Research Program in Forecasting at George Washington University in Washington, DC (2014-). She was Interim Director of Crawford School of Public Policy in 2022 and has been Associate Dean (Research) for the College of Asia and the Pacific, Director of CAMA in 2012-2014 and Deputy Director in 2010-2012.

Renee holds several positions in the economics and social sciences community. In 2022-2023, she was one of three panelists who conducted an independent review of the Reserve Bank of Australia. In 2022, the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia appointed her as the Chair of the Disciplines of Business and Economics. In 2023, she was elected to the Regional Standing Committee of the Econometrics Society for Australasia. She is a member of the Economics Society of Australia Central Council (2021-) and a board member of the Australasian Macroeconomics Society (2014-). She is also a member of the Go8 Economics Advisory Group. She has editorship positions at several journals, including Editor of the Economic Record (2021-), following six years as Co-Editor (2015-2020). She is/was an Associate Editor for the International Review of Economics and Finance (2019- ), Finance Research Letters (2016-) and the Journal of Banking & Finance (2014-2019). In 2018, she was a member of the ARC Research Excellence Committee to evaluate the Excellence in Research Australia (ERA) submissions for the Economics and Commerce for all universities in Australia for the Australian Research Council.

Come join us for an engaging evening with Professor Renée Fry-McKibbin from Australian National University as she delivers the prestigious Freebairn Lecture. This in-person event promises to be enlightening and thought-provoking, covering a wide range of topics in economics and global affairs. Don't miss this opportunity to hear from one of the leading experts in the field. Reserve your spot now!

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Hosted by Department of Economics and Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research.

Host or Publisher Department of Economics