The Fed said Thursday that it would keep up its aggressive bond-buying until unemployment fell.
The Fed will probably stop well short of the aggressive bond buying that Mr. Posen has advocated.
The Fed minutes revealed deeper divisions within the central bank's ranks about the Fed's aggressive bond-buying efforts than many observers had supposed.
On Tuesday, Jean-Claude Trichet, the E.C.B. president, hinted in comments at the European Parliament that the central bank could adopt more aggressive bond-buying measures if needed.
After a struggle between the firm's investment bankers -- whom he epitomized -- and its aggressive bond-trading desk, he was forced out.
So far, though, there have been few signs of inflation taking root even as central banks in Japan and Europe have begun their own aggressive bond-buying programs.
Although the Federal Reserve announced last month that it was not yet ready to taper its aggressive bond-buying program, the central bank is still expected to eventually take its foot off the accelerator.
Britain, largely because of the benefit of an aggressive bond-buying program by the Bank of England and its independent currency, has so far been able to finance its borrowing at very low rates, of around 3.5 percent.
Jean-Claude Trichet, the president of the central bank, hinted on Tuesday that the bank could adopt more aggressive bond-buying measures if needed, saying that investors might not fully appreciate the European Union's resolve.
Until now, Britain has been able to finance its deficits at rates below 4 percent partly because of an aggressive bond-buying program by the Bank of England and because investors have steered clear of sovereign debt in the euro zone.
