The thesis is dedicated to clarifying the origins and main causes of the economic crisis. In the first part I ilustrate the connection between the monetary policies of central banks and the changes in structure of the production and investments with the help of Austrian Business Cycle Theory. These theoretical assumptions are confronted with the empirical findings from USA throughout the 20th century. The second part discusses other factors leading to the crises, mainly focusing on the 2009 economic crises and various free market and state controlled factors. The thesis discusses these factors from the point of view of theoretical and empirical knowledge of economic science.

It is the purpose of this thesis to give a factual presentation of the operation of the discount system of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Texas, covering the years 1914 through 1935.

My dissertation within monetary macroeconomics focuses on uncovering the impact of micro level heterogeneity in household wealth portfolios and firm size on aggregate macroeconomic variables. Using household- and firm-level datasets, I study these outcomes in the context of exploring the effects of monetary policy shocks. Most macroeconomic models use a representative agent framework to study the effects of monetary policy. In such models all consumers are assumed to be similar, therefore, it is only required to know the size of the monetary policy shock and its average impact to estimate the overall effect. But recent literature has emphasized the importance of agent heterogeneity for explaining observed aggregate dynamics and optimal policy design. Here, it matters which consumers get the extra income as people react differently to the shock. In a model with a realistically calibrated household balance sheet, monetary policy has redistribution effects because different agents have differential exposure to the interest rate and inflation risk born in their portfolios. For example, short-term or nominal borrowers will win from a sudden decrease in the interest rate and a sudden increase in inflation, while short-term lenders or nominal lenders will lose. In the first chapter of the dissertation, co authored with Anastasia Burya, we study the effect of heterogeneity in consumers' portfolios on the unemployment response to monetary policy. We develop a search efforts model with heterogeneous agents and then decompose the effect of the monetary policy shock on aggregate unemployment. The direction and the magnitude of the wealth effect will determine whether people search for jobs more actively after a monetary contraction. For example, if unemployed consumers are indebted, they experience a negative wealth effect after a contraction, search for jobs more actively and increase their probability of finding a job, therefore, reducing unemployment. In this framework, the sign of the overall effect of monetary policy on unemployment will depend on whether unemployed consumers are indebted and the magnitude of their debt. We test the prediction of the model in both micro and aggregate data. To test the prediction of the model in the micro data using the PSID panel dataset, we estimate the coefficient of the interaction term between various mortgage measures and Romer \& Romer monetary policy shocks while looking at five main transition probabilities that indicate a higher increase in search efforts for indebted people after a monetary contraction: dynamic transition probability of moving from non employment to employment, moving from non participation in the labor force to employment, remaining a non participant in the labor force, remaining unemployed and taking up an extra job. In the aggregate data, we use a similar estimation approach with debt to income ratio. We also subject this to a variety of checks using age and Saiz instruments for increased robustness. In the second chapter of the dissertation, co-authored with Anastasia Burya and Martsella Davitaya, we show that inflation expectations are anchored. If inflation expectations are anchored, then their sensitivity to monetary policy should be smaller than if they are de-anchored. When the Fed pursues inflation targeting, the market expectations of Fed's reaction should affect the response to current monetary policy shocks. We use daily bond yield data to show that the sensitivity of inflation expectations to monetary policy is lower if the Fed is more responsive to inflation during the previous CPI release. Intuitively, the Fed announcement leading to a rate change that is higher than expected from the CPI release indicates that the markets expect the Fed to react more aggressively in the future. Therefore, markets do not adjust inflation expectations as much (leading to anchored inflation expectations). The empirical strategy consists of two steps. First, we measure market expectations about the Fed's reaction to inflation by regressing the changes of different interest rates around the CPI release dates on the surprise change in CPI. Second, we estimate the sensitivity of inflation expectations' response to monetary policy based on the expectations about the Fed's reaction to inflation. Product markets are characterized by the significant heterogeneity of demand elasticity between large and small firms. In many cases, the ability of larger firms to dictate prices is such that they are able to charge higher markups. In the third chapter, co-authored with Anastasia Burya, we develop a simple model of firms with heterogeneous market power. We connect the recent trend of increasing market power to the flattening of the Phillips Curve through the decreasing aggregate pass-through. We explore the sufficient statistic arising from this model and then proceed to estimate it in the data. Here, we consider heterogeneity in demand elasticity and superelasticity. In the recent literature as well, papers such as Baqaee, Farhi and Sangani (2021) and Wang and Werning (2020) have brought to attention that certain parameters of demand are important for various macroeconomic dynamics such as the flattening of the Phillips Curve. It was also shown that the degree of these effects depends on the demand parameters, such as elasticity and superelasticity. We estimate these parameters in a novel format using an empirical procedure called Granular IV, which was first described in Gabaix and Koijen (2020) and makes use of the fact that in reality, unlike baseline macroeconomic models, some firms are big enough to impact the aggregates. For this estimation, we use firm-level price data from ACNielsen Retail Scanner database. Employing the novel empirical approach we estimate these relevant demand parameters. We estimate a demand elasticity of 3.23, in line with the literature. Our estimate for super elasticity is 3.74 which is in line with Marshall's second law of demand and for constant superelasticity parametrisation would signify the curvature of the demand curve between that of CES and linear demand.

My dissertation combines structural macroeconomic models with analyses of macro and micro data and broadly contributes to two research agendas. The first relates to the channels through which monetary policy impacts the economy. The second aims to understand how heterogeneity observed at the micro level affects the economy. The first two chapters, "Monetary Policy and Heterogeneous Mortgage Refinancing" and "A Model of Heterogeneous Mortgage Refinancing," focus on the refinancing channel of monetary policy. Since fixed-rate mortgages are the most significant source of household debt in the U.S., monetary policy can stimulate household consumption and wealth by lowering mortgage costs through refinancing. The potency of this channel will depend on households’ outstanding mortgage rates, as well as their willingness and ability to refinance. I combine empirical patterns from monthly loan-level data (from joint work with A.Burya) and a heterogeneous agent model of mortgage refinancing to show that credit score heterogeneity dampens the aggregate consumption response to monetary policy by 11%. The third and fourth chapters, "Anchoring of Inflation Expectations: An Empirical Test" and "Anchoring of Inflation Expectations: Role of Risk Premia," study the effectiveness of monetary policy in the U.S. by exploring the degree to which inflation expectations are anchored. If inflation expectations are well-anchored, then the Fed has a higher capacity to support aggregate employment when necessary, without destabilizing inflation. In joint work with A. Burya and S. Mishra, I construct a proxy of the change in the Fed's aggressiveness to inflation and develop an empirical test for inflation expectations anchoring. The proxy of the changes in the Fed's aggressiveness is equal to changes in expectations of future policy rates that are unexplained by the information contained in the inflation news release. The empirical test involves examining the sensitivity of inflation expectations to monetary policy shocks conditional on that proxy. I then use a measure of inflation expectations adjusted for inflation and liquidity risk premia to demonstrate that bond yield data in the U.S. is consistent with the anchoring of the long-term inflation expectations.

The aim of this thesis is monetary policy of the Federal Reserve during the global financial crisis and its impact on the U.S. economy. Intensively carried out the financial crisis in 2007 - 2009. At that time, the Fed has created several tools to support liquidity of depository institutions and primary dealers, which are represented mainly by investment banks and other businesses, such as money market funds. The balance sheet of the central bank has fundamentally transformed. Securities accepted in open market operations have expanded and amount of the balance sheet has increased several times. Operations that change size of liabilities and composition of assets are called quantitative easing. After the interventions of the U.S. central bank the financial markets stabilized and Fed set aside some of the new tools. From December 2007 to June 2009 was the U.S. economy officially in recession. Since then has economic activity been growing but only very slowly.

The text deals with monetary policy normalization in USA and its influence on cross-border capital flows to emerging markets. The first chapter provides basic economic theory of capital flows. Federal Reserve's monetary policy normalization is discussed in the second chapter, including its relation to international flows of capital. The last chapter analyzes monetary policy normalization influence on capital flows to three developing countries.

The diploma thesis analyzes monetary policy in relation to the global imbalances in the world economy. The first chapter deals with historical development of the international monetary system and with effectiveness of monetary policy in the current monetary system. Chapter two defines global imbalances and focuses on their development and specifics. It also examines their connection to the monetary policy of the most important countries in the world economy. The last chapter discusses objectives of monetary policy in the modern world and suggests possible measures to reduce the global imbalances.

Main goal of the diploma thesis is to research liquidity management problems of the Federal Reserve System during banking crisis 1929 -- 1933. Monetary policy implementation based on the implicit reserve targeting was not convenient in times of sharp expansion of the demand for reserves. FED was misled by Real-bills and Riefler-Burgess doctrine and considers monetary condition to be easy. Money interest rates responded very moderately to the shortage of the banking system's liquidity. We can find origin of the first quantitative easing in 1932 when FED first bought larger quantities of the government securities. Expansionary monetary policy during the banking crisis 1929 -- 1933 was also potentially limited by the conflict among U.S. financial stability and sustainability of the gold standard.

This paper compares economical and political independence to a success rate of monetary policy of national banks, on a case of Fed and the Czech National Bank. Based on my definition of independence and accountability based on literature, I show that price stability defined as a main goal is the key factor. If the goal consists of more indicators, there is space for political pressure and the success rate decreases. Some rate of independence is necessary in order to achieve a healthy economy, however, total independence cannot be the target. Accountability then works towards independence as a system of achieving legitimacy, not as a substitute. Public inflation aversion is also considered as an important factor for achieving price stability.

Objective of this paper is to assess efficacy and feasibility of measures undertaken by the Federal Reserve system during the financial crisis that erupted in the year 2007. Firstly, origin of central banking in USA is described, then structure and mandate of Fed. Discussion of causes of the financial crisis follows. This work sheds light on policies of Fed after the beginning of the crisis and analyzes their efficiency and suitability. The biggest focus is on quantitative easing and on its effects on long-term interest rates.