Governance in central banks: a comparative study of the governance practices used by the central banks of Brazil, Canada and England

Abstract Corporate governance in central banks has evolved in recent years, both as a result of advances made in the study of the subject by supranational organizations, as well as through the adoption of the best practices used in the public and private sectors. This paper aims to identify, analyze and compare key aspects of corporate governance used by the central banks of Brazil, Canada and England in 2015. By reviewing existing literature on the subject, it was possible to analyze certain aspects of the monetary authorities of these three countries in terms of their structures and their committeees, as well as the three pillars of governance normally attributed to central banks: independence, accountability and transparency. The results showed significant differences between the three, and suggested that the degree of maturity of each country's society has a certain influence on the practices of governance adopted by its central bank.