Succubus Shadows Chapter 2

I tossed and turned the rest of the night. Being visited by a weird supernatural force will do that to you. Besides, I had never fully recovered from the time an ber-powerful entity of chaos had merged with me in my sleep and sucked away my energy. Her name was Nyx, and last I'd heard, she was imprisoned. Still, what she'd done to me – and what she'd shown me – had left a lasting impression. The fact that Roman couldn't identify what had happened tonight was a little unnerving. So, I woke up bleary-eyed, sporting a massive headache that was probably equal parts hangover and sleep deprivation. Succubi had the rapid healing that all immortals possessed, which meant I must have seriously screwed myself up to have these lingering effects. I knew the headache would pass soon, but I took some ibuprofen to help the process. The condo was quiet when I shuffled into the kitchen, and despite my efforts to clean up the food last night, I was still surrounded in the tattered and worn-out feel that followed most parties. Godiva, curled up on the back of the couch, lifted her head at my arrival, but Aubrey continued sleeping undisturbed in her spot on an armchair. I started some coffee and then wandered over to my patio, staring out at the sunny day and the Seattle skyline on the other side of the gray-blue water stretching off before me. A familiar sensation suddenly swept me, like brimstone and red-hot needles. I sighed. â€Å"Kind of early for you, isn't it?† I asked, not needing to turn around to know Jerome, archdemon of the greater Seattle area and my hellish boss, stood behind me. â€Å"It's noon, Georgie,† he replied dryly. â€Å"The rest of the world is up and around.† â€Å"It's Saturday. The laws of time and space are different today. Noon qualifies as early.† I turned around at last, largely because I'd heard the coffee-maker finish. Jerome was leaning against my kitchen wall, immaculately dressed as always in a black designer suit. Also, like always, the demon looked exactly like a circa 1990s version of John Cusack. He could appear as anything or anyone he wanted in this world, but for reasons he kept vague, Mr. Cusack was his preferred shape. I'd gotten so used to it that whenever Say Anything or Grosse Pointe Blank came on TV, I always had to pause and ask myself, â€Å"What's Jerome doing in this movie?† I poured a cup of coffee and held up the pot by way of invitation. Jerome shook his head. â€Å"I suppose,† he said, â€Å"your roommate is also being a sloth and isn't actually out running errands?† â€Å"That'd be my guess.† I doused my coffee liberally with vanilla creamer. â€Å"I used to kind of hope that when he wasn't around, it meant he was out looking for a job. Turns out I was just setting myself up for disappointment.† Honestly, I was glad it was Roman that Jerome had come to see. When Jerome was looking for me, no good ever came of it. It always tended to result in some traumatic, world-threatening event in the immortal underground. I trudged back across the living room, noting that the cats had disappeared upon Jerome's arrival. Coffee still in hand, I headed to Roman's room, knocking once before opening the door. I figured as landlady, I had that right. Also, I'd found Roman had a remarkable ability to ignore knocking for large amounts of time. He was sprawled across his bed, wearing only a pair of navy blue boxers that gave me pause. As I'd noted before, he was terribly good-looking, despite the prickly attitude he'd had since moving in. Seeing him half-dressed always gave me a weird flashback to the one time we'd slept together. Then, I'd have to remind myself that he was probably plotting how to kill me. It went a long way to stifle any residual lust. Roman's arm covered his eyes against the sunlight streaming through his window. He shifted, moving the arm slightly, and peered at me with one eye. â€Å"It's early,† he said. â€Å"Not according to your exalted sire.† A few seconds passed, and then he grimaced as he too sensed Jerome's immortal signature. With a sigh, Roman sat up, pausing to rub his eyes. He looked about as exhausted as I felt, but if there was one force in this world that could drag him out of bed after a late night, it was my boss – no matter Roman's bold claims from last night. He staggered to his feet and moved past me in the doorway. â€Å"Aren't you going to get dressed?† I exclaimed. Roman's only answer was a disinterested wave of his hand as he headed down the hall. I followed him back and discovered Jerome pouring himself a mug of some vodka leftover from last night. Well, it was five o'clock somewhere. He arched an eyebrow when he saw Roman's scantily clad state. â€Å"Nice of you to dress up.† Roman made a beeline for the coffee. â€Å"Only the best for you, Pop. Besides, Georgina likes it.† A moment of heavy silence followed as Jerome's dark eyes studied Roman. I knew nothing about Roman's mother, but Jerome was the demon who had fathered him thousands of years ago. Technically, Jerome had been an angel at the time, but making the moves on a human had got him fired from Heaven and sent off to work for those down below. No severance package. Roman occasionally made snide comments about their familial relationship, but Jerome never acknowledged it. In fact, according to both Heaven and Hell's rules, Jerome should have blasted Roman from the earth ages ago. Angels and demons considered nephilim unnatural and wrong and continually attempted to hunt them to extinction. It was kind of harsh, even with the sociopathic tendencies nephilim tended to have. Roman had been instrumental in saving Jerome recently, however, and the two had struck a deal that allowed Roman to live peacefully in Seattle – for now. If any of Jerome's colleagues found out about this illicit arrangement, there would literally be hell to pay – for all of us. A good succubus would have told on her rule-breaking boss. â€Å"So what brings you here?† asked Roman, pulling up a chair. â€Å"Want to toss the old football around?† Jerome's face remained impassive. â€Å"I have a job for you.† â€Å"Like one that pays the rent?† I asked hopefully. â€Å"Like one that ensures I'll continue to allow him to live in the lifestyle he's accustomed to,† replied Jerome. Roman had an amused, devil-may-care smile on his face that was typical of him, but I wasn't fooled. He knew the threat Jerome represented and also knew that part of their deal involved Roman doing errands for his father. Still, Roman made a good show of acting like he was the one doing Jerome a favor. The nephilim gave an unconcerned shrug. â€Å"Sure. I've got nothing else going on today. What's up?† â€Å"We have a new immortal visitor in town,† said Jerome. If Roman's attitude annoyed him, the demon was just as good at masking his feelings. â€Å"A succubus.† My removed, psychological study of father and son dynamics came to a screeching halt. â€Å"What?† I exclaimed, straightening up so quickly that I nearly spilled my coffee. â€Å"I thought we were set after Tawny.† I'd worked the succubus scene solo around here for years until Jerome had acquired another one several months ago. Her name was Tawny, and while she was annoying and pretty inept as succubi went, there was still something rather endearing about her. Fortunately, Jerome had sent her off to Bellingham, keeping her a comfortable hour-and-a-half drive from me. â€Å"Not that it's any of your business, Georgie, but this one's not here to work. She's here†¦as a visitor. On vacation.† Jerome's lips twisted with bitter amusement. Roman and I exchanged looks. Immortals could certainly take personal vacations, but clearly, there was more to this. â€Å"And?† asked Roman. â€Å"She's really here because†¦?† â€Å"Because I'm sure my superiors want to check up on me after the recent†¦incident.† His words were delicate, with a very subtle warning not to elaborate on said incident. It was the one Roman and I had rescued him from – a summoning that had imprisoned Jerome as part of a demonic power play. Letting yourself get summoned was embarrassing for a demon and could call his territorial control into question. Hell sending someone to survey the situation wasn't that crazy. â€Å"You think she's spying to see if you can still run things?† asked Roman. â€Å"I'm certain of it. I want you to follow her around and see who she reports back to. I'd do it myself, but it's better if I don't appear suspicious. So I need to stay visible.† â€Å"Lovely,† said Roman, voice as dry as his father's. â€Å"There's nothing I want to do more than trail a succubus around.† â€Å"From what I hear, you're pretty good at it,† I piped in. It was true. Roman had stalked me invisibly a number of times. Lesser immortals like me couldn't hide the telltale signature that wreathed all of us, but Roman had inherited that ability from Jerome, making him the perfect spy. Roman shot me a wry look, then turned back to Jerome. â€Å"When do I start?† â€Å"Immediately. Her name is Simone, and she's staying down at the Four Seasons. Go there and see what she does. Mei will relieve you off and on.† Mei was Jerome's second-in-command demon. â€Å"The Four Seasons?† I asked. â€Å"Is Hell paying for that? I mean, we're in a recession.† Jerome sighed. â€Å"Hell's never in a recession. And I didn't think your droll commentary started until after you'd finished your coffee.† I showed him my cup. It was empty. Jerome sighed again and then vanished without warning. He apparently had no doubts that Roman would follow his orders. Roman and I stood there for several quiet seconds, during which both cats resurfaced. Aubrey rubbed against Roman's bare leg, and he scratched her head. â€Å"Guess I should shower and get dressed,† he said at last, rising to his feet. â€Å"Don't trouble yourself,† I said. â€Å"And won't you be invisible anyway?† He turned his back to me and walked off down the hallway. â€Å"I was thinking of dropping off some job applications when Mei gives me a break.† â€Å"Liar,† I said. I don't think he heard. It wasn't until the shower kicked on that I realized I should have asked Jerome about that weird sensation last night. It was so odd; I didn't even know how to describe it. The more I pondered it, the more I wondered if it had been alcohol-induced. Admittedly, Roman claimed he'd sensed something, but he'd drank as much as me. And speaking of jobs†¦my kitchen clock was telling me I needed to head off to mine. One thing about this condo was that the skyline view had come at the cost of work convenience. My old apartment had been in Queen Anne, the same neighborhood that Emerald City Books and Caf? ¦ resided in. I used to be able to walk to work, but that was impossible from West Seattle, meaning I had to allow commuting time. Unlike Roman, I had no need to physically shower and change – not that I wouldn't have liked to. I found human routines comforting. A brief burst of succubus shape-shifting cleaned me up, putting me in a work-appropriate peach sundress and arranging my light brown hair into a loose bun. Roman didn't surface before I had to leave, so I grabbed another cup of coffee and left him a note asking if it would kill him to take out the garbage before he went off to play secret agent. My headache and the last effects of the hangover were gone by the time I walked into the store. It was abuzz with late afternoon shoppers, people out running Saturday errands and tourists who had wandered over from the Space Needle and Seattle Center down the street. I dropped my purse off in my office and then did a managerial sweep of the store, satisfied that everything was running smoothly – until I noticed we had a line of eight people and only one cashier. â€Å"Why are you alone?† I asked Beth. She was a long-time employee and a good one, answering my question without even looking up from her customer's order. â€Å"Gabrielle's on break, and Doug isn't†¦feeling well.† Memories of the vodka competition came back to me. I grimaced, feeling both guilty and smug. â€Å"Where is he?† â€Å"Over in erotica.† I felt my eyebrows rise but said nothing as I turned away and walked across the store. Our small erotica section was bizarrely stuffed in between automotive and animals (amphibians, to be precise). And crammed in between the two shelves of the erotica section was Doug, sitting on the floor with his head resting facedown on his knees. I knelt beside him. â€Å"Hair of the dog time?† I asked. He lifted his head and brushed black hair out of his face. His expression was miserable. â€Å"You cheated. You're like half my size. How are you not in a coma?† â€Å"Older and wiser,† I said. If only he knew just how old. I took hold of his arm and tugged it. â€Å"Come on. Let's go to the caf? ¦ and get you some water.† For a moment, he looked like he'd resist, but a valiant effort soon followed. He even managed not to stagger too much as I led him to the store's second floor, which was half books and half coffee shop. I grabbed a bottle of water, told the barista I'd pay for it later, and started to drag Doug to a chair. As I scanned around, I nearly came to a halt, causing poor Doug to stumble. Seth was sitting at a table, laptop spread open in front of him. This was his favorite place to write, which had been nice when we dated and now was†¦awkward. Maddie sat with him, purse in hand and light coat on. I recalled that we started at the same time today. She must have just arrived. They waved us over, and she gave her brother a chastising look. â€Å"Serves you right.† Doug took a long gulp of water. â€Å"Whatever happened to sisterly love?† â€Å"I still haven't forgiven you for the time you shaved my dachshund.† â€Å"That was like twenty years ago. And that little bastard had it coming.† I smiled out of habit. Doug and Maddie's bantering was usually must-see TV for me. Today, Seth held my attention. It had been easier to ignore him last night while in the throes of alcohol, easy to pretend I'd grudgingly accepted him moving on to Maddie. But now, in the cold light of sobriety, I felt that old ache stir within my chest. I swore I could smell the scent of his skin, his sweat mingled with the woodsy apple soap he used. Sunlight from the caf? ¦'s large windows infused his messy brown hair with copper, and I could perfectly recall what it had been like to stroke the lines of his face, the smooth skin of his upper cheek and stubble on his chin. Looking up to his eyes, I was surprised to see his attention on me as the siblings continued their playful bickering. I'd almost convinced myself last night that he only thought of me as a friend, but now†¦now I wasn't so sure. There was something warm there, something considering. Something I knew shouldn't be there. I suddenly had a sneaking suspicion that he might be remembering the handful of times we'd had sex. I was thinking of it too. My powers had been shut off when Jerome disappeared, and Seth and I had been able to have â€Å"safe† – by which I meant, no succubus side effects – sex. Except for one. He'd still been dating Maddie at the time, and cheating on her had tainted his soul with sin. That was worse than if I'd sucked his energy away. As of this moment, Seth was a Hell-bound soul. He didn't realize that, but regret for betraying her was part of what had spurred him to a hasty engagement. He felt he owed her. The guilt forced me to look away from him, and I noticed then that Maddie and Doug had stopped their arguing. Maddie was glancing over at the coffee counter, but Doug's eyes were on me. They were bloodshot and weary, with heavy dark circles. But in the midst of that miserable, hungover look†¦there was a glint of something puzzled and surprised. â€Å"Work time,† said Maddie cheerfully, standing up. She poked her brother's shoulder, making him wince and turn his attention from me. I was glad. â€Å"You going to survive your last couple hours?† â€Å"Yeah,† he muttered, drinking more water. â€Å"Go count inventory in the back,† I told him, standing as well. â€Å"I don't want customers thinking our staff can't hold their liquor. They'd be over at the chain stores so fast, it wouldn't even be funny.† Maddie's lips quirked into a smile as her brother wearily rose to his feet. â€Å"Hey, Georgina. Do you mind if Doug and I switch shifts on Tuesday? I need to go run some wedding errands during business hours.† Doug cut her a look. â€Å"When were you going to ask if I minded?† â€Å"Sure,† I said, trying not to wince at the word â€Å"wedding.† â€Å"You can work the night shift with me.† â€Å"You want to come along?† she asked. â€Å"You said you would.† â€Å"I did?† â€Å"Last night.† I frowned. God only knew how many promises I'd made and had now forgotten, thanks to vodka and weird magical forces. Vaguely, I recalled her showing me wedding pictures. â€Å"I think I have some errands of my own to run.† â€Å"One of the places is right around the corner from you,† she urged. â€Å"Maddie,† said Seth hastily, clearly as uncomfortable with this change of topic as I was. â€Å"If she's busy – â€Å" â€Å"You can't be busy all day,† Maddie begged. â€Å"Please?† I knew it was disastrous, knew it would be courting heart-ache and trouble. But Maddie was my friend, and the pleading look in her eyes did something to my insides. It was guilt, I realized. Guilt over how Seth and I had betrayed her. Her expression now was full of such faith and hope in me – me, the best friend she had in Seattle and the only one she believed could help her plan this wedding. Which is why I found myself agreeing, just as I had last night. Only this time, I had no alcohol to blame. â€Å"Okay.† Guilt was probably the worst culprit of all when it came to stupid behavior.

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Meanwhile, it has a vital influence for the social employment security stability and price stability.Due to the different economic backgroundand organization structure in the different country, its structure and the mission of the central bank is not entirely same. Therefore, this report mainly compared the similarities and differences between four central banksthrough detailed analysis their structure and functions.At the same time, this article aims to discuss whether these differences will bring different level of central bank independence. Central bank independence is a significant problem. Lots of previous academic studies have shown that independence is an important factor to influence the national inflation rate. Additionally, the structure of this paper is as follows. Section 2 provides a literature review on the different aspect and effect of central bank structure and mission. Section 3 explains the specific aspect of structure and mission in our case study. It has 3 parts, capital structure, power structure, missions and independence of central bank. Section 4 is a summary of the papers findings.Previewing our results, we find that missions of central bank are similar because of the central bank nature.Asà £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬the same time, difference power structure will lead different independence, then affect monetary policy and the rate of inflation. 2. Background Literature According to the existing literature in central bank structure, as Schoenmaker (2013) points out, it can divided into several aspects: Banks capital structure and quantity, level of economic development, level of central bank independence. ButD. Schoenmaker (2013) mainly through the analysis of inflation index to evaluate independence, because the central bank’s common methods is through monetary policy to control inflation then keep the economic stability. First, about central bank capital aspect, animportant research results isCBFS modelwhich created byPosso and Tawadros (2013).It shows that central Banks capital strength and the rate of inflation is inversely related. But, in oppose, another view fromStella (1997)thinks that the central bank does not need a lot of capital because it is hard become bankrupt.However, in our opinions, enough capital can give central Banks greater ability to face risk. Therefore, based on this view, we will compare the capital structure between ECB, FED, PBOC and BOJ. After that, we reviewed power structure of central bank aspect. It is mainly around the external organizational form and branch institutions. Meanwhile, we consider different central bankstructureand task determines its independence. At present, we find that a lot of economics research thinks that independence and inflation rate is negative correlation. One of results fromArnone and Romelli (2012)has great guiding significance .Arnone and Romelli(2012) not only test the developed countries central banks, like FED,BOJ. Their panel data also included lots of central banks from developing countries. But, however, they do not compare the difference between developing country and developed country. So, our research will pay more attention to this problem. Thirdly, review the literature for central bank mission research, Schoenmaker (2013) was made research and analysis for this. He considers central Banks have two major objectives: monetary stability and financial stability in the traditional views.But we find that many countries have modified its development goalsmany timesin recent decades, especially the reform of PBOC in 2003.Because the development of economic. So, our research will use our four countries latest laws and regulations as a basis to comparison their mission. 3. Analysis 3.1 Capital Structure Capital funds of central bank offered from the state or private or both. The source of capital funds will affect central bank system. It can be separate to state-owned, half state-owned and private-owned.. The capital structure of PBOC is quite single. It is fully owned by the state.In Article 8 of the peoples bank of China act (2003) point out that all the capital of PBOC are invested by the state, it shall be owned by the state. Nowadays, PBOC’s reserves areUS$3.201trillion. Meanwhile, BOJ capital structure is half state-owned. Bank of Japan is capitalized at 100 million yen in accordance with the Act. About 55 percent of the capital is subscribed by the government. Banking Act from Japanregulated that the BOJ do not set shareholders meeting. Shareholders can not join BOJs operation.Shareholders rights is only to get dividends per year and highest do not exceed 5%. The FRS is private equity capital form. All capital provided by private shareholders investment, after authorized by the government, then to perform the function of central Banks.FRScapital funded by12member Banks of federal reserve bank. Thesemember bank subscribe shares, get dividend per year in accordance with the stake, the highest dividend do not exceed 6%. ECB isSimilar to FRS. Itis also has share subscription, but all of share hold by member states in European Union. The amount of capital contribution is decided according to each member’s GDP proportionand populationproportion in EU.The ECB’s capital amounts toâ‚ ¬5billion.Reserves are 526 euro in total now. It can be find that only PBOC capital provided by government. Other three central banks have stock subscription. ECB is most similar than FED, all of capitalare funded by member banks or national member banks. However, this part only compared capital structure and reserves between these four banks. It is unable to see that the capital structure influence on independence, so later will compare the power structure 3.2 Power Structure 3.21 External Organizational form and branch institutions These four central bank external organizational form can be spate to 3 kinds: unit central bank systemà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Dual central bank systemà ¯Ã‚ ¼Ã…’Multinational central bank system. PBOC and the BOJ are unit central bank system. It means that a country only to set up a unified central bank to exercise power and dutyof the central bank. Central bank itself is unified, its branch institutions generally direct managed by central bank. Most countries adopt the wayat present. Because this mode is conducive to national manage and macroeconomic control. As the same time, it is obviously to limit level of branch institutions independence at central bank. FRS power structure is different from Japan and China.It use dual central bank system, means that the central bank system is composed of two parts: central (the board of governors) and local (member of Federal Reserve Bank). These two parts are relatively independent. The board of governorsis the highest financial decision-making body. Local accept the supervision from central. But local has rights in the concrete implementation and daily operation. So, local have their own independence. The Federal Reserve System divid es 12 areas, each area to set up a federal reserve bank. These 12 banks have independence in their own area. Additionally, ECB is Multinational central bank system. ECB and 27 national central banks compose to ESCB. National bank has own independence. So, we can find that ECB has highest level of independence because it not control by any government or state. The local also have own independence to operate. Similarly, FRS also has high independence level. 3.22 Inside Financial manage and supervision Although central bank not operate for profit, but itstill hasoperating income. Among these four central banks, BOJ and FRS revenue will belong to their countrys ministry of finance after dividends payment. Dividends payment proportion has been given in Section 3.1. In addition, at internalsupervision aspect, they have own supervision department respectively. At external supervision, it mainlysupervised fromgovernment with legal methods. Seminally, PBOCs all profits also belong to the ministry of finance in China, same as Japan and US. But supervision aspect, China was explicitly stipulated in the law amendment in 2003(PBOCs Act): the PBOC as a department under the state council of China, belong to the government departments. So, PBOC isdirectly regulated and supervise fromgovernment. ECB is different than other three banks, it has own financial independence. Operate revenue control by itself. ECB can make own budget. In supervision aspect, it accepts European Union rules. ECB should take responsible to offer report to European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union. But ECB do not control byany country or government. So, obviously, ECB have more independence in financial aspect than others. 3.3. Missions As a non-profit financial institutions,the mission ofthese central banktrends to be consistent: play its functions effectively andachieve their core goal. The main way is through monetary policy, to keep price stability, to promote economic development. According to the ECB official website state, the European Central Bank and the national central banks together constitute the Euro system. The main objective of the Euro system is to maintain price stability: safeguarding the value of the euro. In Japan, the Act sets the BOJs objectives is ‘to issue banknotes and to carry out currency and monetary control’ and ‘BOJ shall be aimed at achieving price stability’ Similarly in China, the Act of PBOC (2003) points out that PBOC’s missions are: to formulate and implement monetary policy, to maintain price stability, to provide financial services. In the US, the Board of Governors of the FRS and the Federal Open Market Committee shall ‘maintain long run growth of the monetary and credit aggregates commensurate to promote effectively the goals of maximum employment, stable prices, and moderate long-term interest rates. (1977 Federal Reserve Reform Act specified) Monetary policy tools To sum up, we could find that these central bank’s missions all around to keep price stability. It is determined by the central bank’s nature. But their also has some different. For instance, the US also clearly point out FRS should maximum employment and moderate long-term interest rates. Similarly, their monetary policy tools also trends to be consistent, all mainly to use two methods: open market operations and reserve requirements. 3.4 Independence As background literature described, independence is an important aspect to the central bank. This part is extended based on above analysis, to compare these several central bank independence. In the angle of structure, despite these four central banks has different capital structure, but it didnt have obvious effect to independence. Because shareholders do not to participate operations, only charge a small amount of dividends. In organizational form aspect, BOJ and PBOC independence is lowest. Americansdual central bank systemgives more independence between the central and local. In this aspect, ECB system is similarly with FRS. In financial aspect, the biggest independent central bank still is ECB. Becauseother three central bank’s revenues are belong to their national Treasury. About supervision, except PBOC is directly control by government, other three central banks have great independence. They have their own internal supervision mechanism and external legislative intervention by the government. 4. Conclusions On the whole, we find that ECB, BOJ, FRD and PBOC missions are consistent. It is mainly around to keep price stability. Through the contrast of central banks objective and monetary tools also reflects their similarity. With the research of central bank structure and independence, ECB has highest independence,resemble to FRS.It should be mention that the ECB does not public members vote process, so the independence has been questioned in recent years. However, it is no doubt that the worst independence of central bank is PBOC. It is mainly caused by nationalization of the structure. In addition, our study is based on theoretical angle, around power structure and missions’ analysis, to evaluate its independence. It has not using quantitive data.But reference toMasciandaro,ect.(2008)released specific quantitative rating of the independence of the central bank, (A total of 19 criteria are identified to assess the degree of supervisory independence, and 21 for accountability.) the data are consistent with our analysis. They measured thatPBOC independence index is 0.47 and BOJ is 0.34. ECB and FRS independence is significantly higher. Thus, it could prove our results correctness. References Arnone, M., Romelli, D. (2012). Dynamic central bank independence indices and inflation rate: a new empirical exploration.Paolo Baffi Centre Research Paper, (2012-118). Masciandaro, D., Quintyn, M., Taylor, M. W. (2008). Inside and outside the central bank: Independence and Accountability in Financial Supervision: Trends and Determinants.European Journal of Political Economy,24(4), 833-848. Posso, A., Tawadros, G. B. (2013). Does greater central bank independence really lead to lower inflation? 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