ASSESSING INFLATION TARGETING IN THE LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES IN THE PERIOD 2001-2014

ABSTRACT This paper aims to evaluate the performance of the monetary policy of inflation targeting regime in the Latin America countries from 2001 to 2014, with monthly data. For this purpose, a VEC model (vector error correction) is applied to running data to analyze the long-term function and the impulse response function. The results pointed out that the adoption of the target system has contributed to reduce the inflation rate and its volatility and the fluctuations in the rate of growth in activity level. The estimated parameters of the long-term speed of adjustment of the price index have indicated strong reaction by the monetary authorities to change inflation rate via short-term interest rate. These adjustments are also noted in the level of activity and the exchange rate for most countries, but with less level of speed. The impulse response function confirmed these results. Therefore, the monetary policy was effective to control inflation, especially in Peru, Colombia and Chile. In Brazil and Mexico, the effectiveness of monetary policy has only been observed more recently.