What incentives arise for a central bank to fall into the time-inconsistency trap of pursuing overly expansionary monetary policy?

1. Short-Term Economic Boost: Central banks may be tempted to pursue overly expansionary monetary policy to stimulate economic growth in the short term. By increasing the money supply, they can lower interest rates, which encourages borrowing and investment. This can lead to increased spending, higher employment, and a boost in economic activity.

2. Political Pressure: Central banks may also face political pressure to pursue expansionary policies. Politicians often favor policies that can lead to immediate economic improvements, as these can be popular with voters. Therefore, they may pressure central banks to lower interest rates and increase the money supply, even if this is not the best long-term strategy.

3. Inflation Targeting: Central banks often have a mandate to maintain a certain level of inflation. If inflation is below this target, they may be incentivized to pursue expansionary policies to increase inflation. However, this can lead to a time-inconsistency problem if they continue these policies for too long, leading to overly high inflation.

4. Economic Crises: In times of economic crisis, central banks may feel compelled to pursue overly expansionary policies to try to stimulate the economy and prevent a deep recession. However, if these policies are maintained for too long, they can lead to inflation and other economic problems.

5. Unemployment: Central banks may also be incentivized to pursue expansionary policies if there is high unemployment. By increasing the money supply and lowering interest rates, they can stimulate job growth. However, this can also lead to inflation and other economic problems if not managed carefully.

In conclusion, while expansionary monetary policy can have short-term benefits, it can also lead to long-term problems such as inflation and economic instability. Therefore, central banks need to carefully manage their policies to avoid falling into the time-inconsistency trap.