Join the conversation at the intersection of anthropology, linguistics, and economics with Douglas R. Holmes, Distinguished Professor in Anthropology, Binghamton University, New York.

Making use of narrative theory, Professor Holmes' research project and paper with the Bank of England (Monetary Policy and the Management of Uncertainty: A Narrative Approach) shows that the intelligence gathered from conversations with businesses is uniquely useful for both the analysis and communication of monetary policy. It also provides insights into how economic agents understand the economy they are creating, and how these insights can help the Monetary Policy Committee to communicate its policy as a narrative the public understands and commits to.

His former book on the Economy of Words: Communicative Imperatives in Central Banks also drew on ethnographic fieldwork among central bankers across country contexts, such as the New York District Branch of the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank, the Deutsche Bundesbank, and the Bank of England, among others. The book offered provocative insights into the way our economic circumstances are conceptualized and ultimately managed, and showed how Central Banks' officials have created a monetary regime that relies on an evolving collaboration and relationship with the public - rooted in sentiments and expectations - to achieve the ends of monetary policy.