Following the work of Poole and others, changes in monetary policy reg
imes are hypothesized to be the result of the reaction of policymakers
to changes in the distribution of shocks buffeting the economy. First
, a time-varying estimation procedure is employed to parameterize the
degree to which the policy rule has changed over time. Second, estimat
ed changes in the policy rule are modeled explicitly, utilizing proxie
s for the disturbances which theory and practice suggest are relevant
determinants of such variations. The results suggest changes in moneta
ry policy regimes do not appear to be exogenous events.