Essays on central bank forecasting

In this doctoral thesis consisting of four thematically linked essays, the informational and political aspects of central bank forecasts, in particular of density forecasts for inflation and output growth, are analyzed using statistical methods. The evaluation of the information content of macroeconomic risk forecasts, the analysis of the determinants of the shape of
inflation fan charts, the impact of the interest rate assumption on the forecast accuracy of central bank forecasts and the relevance of uncertainty and risk forecasts for monetary policy decisions are the pillars of this work. Surveys of the international practice of central bank forecasting with respect to these issues complement the empirical parts of the studies.