But even this combination, which can only be temporary, cannot in the long run prevent a sharp rise in prices if the gap between demand and supply is too wide - as demonstrated by the rise in prices after 1980.” In Norway, the efforts to develop an economy under strong centralised coordination and control culminated in the 1973 proposal to establish an incomes policy council.5 According to the proposal, the social partners would undertake a commitment through the council to keep negotiated wage increases within specific limits. It was also stipulated that demand management policy should be included as part of incomes policy. The proposal to establish an incomes policy council did not receive support. There was ultimately too much control and coordination. Now, only 30 years later, virtually nothing of this system remains. The structure was not solid enough. We know from experience that fiscal policy alone cannot ensure a high level of employment. The structure of the labour market and wage formation are probably of greater importance. The direct regulation of credit, interest rates and capital movements collapsed and was phased out in the 1980s. The krone is floating. Price regulation no longer plays a role as a macroeconomic instrument. The scope of business policy has become more general. State ownership in the Norwegian business sector remains extensive, but ownership management has been reorganised following the negative experience of companies in Kongsberg, Mo i Rana and Syd-Varanger. The economic policy of the 1970s and 1980s contributed to wide fluctuations in the Norwegian economy.
6  BIS Review 36/2004  Both the formulation of a precise inflation target and the aim of striking a balance between the objectives of stable output and inflation could invite a repeat of earlier attempts at fine-tuning. But here it is important to adhere to the lessons drawn from the 1970s and 1980s. The uncertainty underlying the decisions taken must not be underestimated. There is uncertainty as to the current state of the economy, the underlying driving forces and the economy’s functioning, including expectations formation and the impact of monetary policy. Economic models are tools that help us address some of this uncertainty. Inflation targeting places new demands on our models and our use of models. In an uncertain world, risk analysis is a very important part of the work. The aim is as much to understand the economics of the forecast as to produce quantitative estimates. In central banks, dramatic developments in macroeconomic modelling have taken place over the past 10 years. At Norges Bank, we have started work on developing modelling tools for inflation targeting. We are inspired by and work closely with other central banks and the IMF and draw on our long experience of model building in Norway. We are working on several different models and we are assessing other building blocks that we need to support our work in setting interest rates under an inflation targeting regime.