Euro, Inflation and Consumers' Perceptions

The editors are economists atthe Economic Outlook and Monetary Policy Department of the Bank of Italy. Paolo Del Giovane is Head of the Monetary Analysis Division. His areas of interest include the European monetary unification process and the setting of monetary policy, its conduct and communication; more recently, his research has centred around price recall and the determinants of inflation perceptions. Roberto Sabbatini is Deputy Head of the Economic Outlook Division. Lately, his research has focused on the inflationary process and its determinants, in particular its persistence in the euro area, the impact of the transition to the single currency, and the development of housing market indicators.

• Perceived and measured inflation after the launch of the euro: explaining the gap in Italy.- Rounding and “anomalous” changes in Italian consumer prices in 2002.- Pricing behaviour and the introduction of the euro: evidence from a panel of restaurants.- Did prices really soar after the euro cash changeover? Evidence from ATM withdrawals.- Memory for prices and the euro cash changeover: an analysis for cinema prices in Italy.- What’s behind “inflation perceptions”? A survey-based analysis of Italian consumers.- Impact of the cash changeover on prices and inflation perceptions in the euro area: a survey of the empirical evidence.