The Field of Public Economics has been changing rapidly in recent years, and the sixteen chapters contained in this Handbook survey many of the new developments. As a field, Public Economics is defined by its objectives rather than its techniques and much of what is new is the application of modern methods of economic theory and econometrics to problems that have been addressed by economists for over two hundred years. More generally, the discussion of public finance issues also involves elements of political science, finance and philosophy. These connections are evidence in several of the chapters that follow.
Public Economics is the positive and normative study of government's effect on the economy. We attempt to explain why government behaves as it does, how its behavior influences the behavior of private firms and households, and what the welfare effects of such changes in behavior are. Following Musgrave (1959) one may imagine three purposes for government intervention in the economy: allocation, when market failure causes the private outcome to be Pareto inefficient, distribution, when the private market outcome leaves some individuals with unacceptably low shares in the fruits of the economy, and stabilization, when the private market outcome leaves some of the economy's resources underutilized. The recent trend in economic research has tended to emphasize the character of stabilization problems as problems of allocation in the labor market. The effects that government intervention can have on the allocation and distribution of an economy's resources are described in terms of efficiency and incidence effects. These are the primary measures used to evaluate the welfare effects of government policy.

This first volume of the "Handbook of Agricultural Economics" presents work on topics central to the economics of agriculture: the quantitative representation of technology; market expectations; household production behaviour; consumer behaviour with uncertain quality and safety of goods; and issues of imperfect competition in food marketing. Volume 1A treats issues in agricultural production, representing the consequences of decades of work deepening and widening the original focus of agricultural economics on farm management. In addition to the theory and estimation of production and supply behaviour in agriculture, chapters are devoted to topics on which major advancements have been made: technological change; returns to agricultural research; the industrial structure of agriculture, land institutions and markets; and human capital and finance. Two chapters are further specialized to rural labour and household issues: migration and the role of women in developing countries.

As a relatively new subdiscipline of economics, health economics has made many contributions to areas of the main discipline, such as insurance economics. This volume provides a survey of the burgeoning literature on the subject of health economics.

This handbook aims to provide a survey of the stet of knowledge in the broad area that includes the theories and facts of economic growth and economic fluctuations, as well as the consequences of monetary conditions. Macroeconomics underwent a evolution in the 70s and 80s due to the introduction of the methods of rational expectations, dynamic optimization, and general equilibrium analysis into macroeconomic models, to the development of new theories of economic fluctuations, and to the introduction of sophisticated methods for the analysis of economic time series. These developments were both important and exciting. However, the rapid change in methods and theories led to considerable-disagreement, especially in the 80s, as to whether there was any core of common beliefs, even about the defining problems of the subject, that united macroeconomists any longer. The 90s have also been exciting, but for a different reason. Modern methods of analysis have progressed to the point where they are now much better able to address practical or substantive macroeconomic questions - whether traditional, new, empirical, or policy related. Indeed, it is no longer necessary to choose between more powerful methods and practical policy concerns. The editors believe that both the progress and the focus on substantive problems has led to a situation in macroeconomics where the area of common ground is considerable, though they cannot yet announce a "new synthesis" that could be endorsed by most scholars working in the field. For this reason this handbook is organized around substantive macroeconomic problems, and not around alternative methodological approaches or schools of thought. The extent to which the field has changed over the past decade is considerable. This work is a response to the need for the survey of the current state of macroeconomics.

The collection of chapters in the "Handbook of Population and Family Economics" and their organization reflect the most recent developments in economics pertaining to population issues and the family. The rationale, contents, and organization of the "Handbook" evolve from three premises. First, the family is the main arena in which population outcomes are forged. Second, there are important interactions and significant causal links across all demographic phenomena. Third, the study of the size, composition, and growth of a population can benefit from the application of economic methodology and tools. The diversity and depth of the work reviewed and presented in the "Handbook" conveys both the progress that has been made by economists in understanding the forces shaping population processes, including the behavior of families, and the many questions, empirical and theoretical, that still remain. For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

This Handbook provides a self-contained survey of the current state of defense economics in the form of chapters prepared by leading specialists on various aspects in the field. The volume summarizes not only received results but also newer developments, from recent journal articles and discussion papers. Theoretical analysis, econometric techniques, and policy issues are addressed. The chapters fall into two essential categories: "surveys" and "conceptual studies." Survey chapters present a synthesis, interpretation, and evaluation of the literature for particular subfields of defense economics, whereas the conceptual chapters elucidate the analysis of specific topics. Both types of chapters provide directions for future research. As with other volumes in the "Handbooks in Economics" series, this Handbook will be a definitive source, reference, and teaching supplement for use by professional researchers and advanced graduate students. For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

For this Handbook authors known to have different views regarding the nature of development economics have been selected. The Handbook is organised around the implications of different sets of assumptions and their associated research programs. It is divided into three volumes, each with three parts which focus on the broad processes of development.
This third volume of the Handbook of Development Economics employs rigorous theoretical and empirical frameworks. It focuses on policy and includes material from unpublished and not generally available sources. In particular, it covers analytical and policy issues arising from the collapse of the paradigm of development based on import-substituting-industrialization in most developing countries; and the demise of centrally planned economies of Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. The volume also deals with the increasing recognition of the importance of micro behavioral responses to a range of incentives and unobserved factors both for analysis and for policy formulation. It discusses the ongoing process of economic reforms in developing countries by reducing state involvement in the economy through privatization, opening up the economy much more to foreign trade and investment and allowing market forces
and the private sector to guide resource allocation to a much greater extent. As well as updating developments on topics which were included in the earlier volumes, this Handbook also includes different topics, such as econometric and other empirical modeling tools for development analysis and the role of technology in the development process.
As in the previous volumes of the series, the chapters in this Handbook provideself-contained surveys summarizing not only received knowledge but also recent developments. Each chapter is also a definitive source, reference and teaching supplement for use by researchers and advanced graduate students.

For more detailed information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

This is the second of three volumes surveying the state of the art in Game Theory and its applications to many and varied fields, in particular to economics. The chapters in the present volume are contributed by outstanding authorities, and provide comprehensive coverage and precise statements of the main results in each area. The applications include empirical evidence. The following topics are covered: communication and correlated equilibria, coalitional games and coalition structures, utility and subjective probability, common knowledge, bargaining, zero-sum games, differential games, and applications of game theory to signalling, moral hazard, search, evolutionary biology, international relations, voting procedures, social choice, public economics, politics, and cost allocation. This handbook will be of interest to scholars in economics, political science, psychology, mathematics and biology. For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

Due to the fundamental two-way interaction between the theoretical and the empirical aspects of monetary economics, together with the relationship of both to matters of public policy, any organization of material comprehensively spanning the subject is bound to be arbitrary. The 23 surveys commissioned for this Handbook have been arranged in a way that the editors feel reflects some of the most important logical divisions within the field and together they present a comprehensive account of the current state of the art. The Handbook is an indispensable reference work which should be part of every professional collection, and which makes ideal supplementary reading for graduate economics students on advanced courses.

For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

Due to the fundamental two-way interaction between the theoretical and the empirical aspects of monetary economics, together with the relationship of both to matters of public policy, any organization of material comprehensively spanning the subject is bound to be arbitrary. The 23 surveys commissioned for this Handbook have been arranged in a way that the editors feel reflects some of the most important logical divisions within the field and together they present a comprehensive account of the current state of the art. The Handbook is an indispensable reference work which should be part of every professional collection, and which makes ideal supplementary reading for graduate economics students on advanced courses.

For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

Hardbound. This handbook serves as a source, reference, and teaching supplement for industrial organization (or industrial economics), the broad field within microeconomics that focuses on business behavior and its implications both for market structures and processes, and for public policies towards them. Comprehensive and up-to-date surveys are provided of recent developments and the state of knowledge in the major areas of research in this field as of the latter part of the 1980's, written at a level suitable for use by non-specialist economists and students on advanced graduate courses. Each chapter can be read independently, although they are organized into sections. For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/he

Hardbound. This handbook serves as a source, reference, and teaching supplement for industrial organization (or industrial economics), the broad field within microeconomics that focuses on business behavior and its implications both for market structures and processes, and for public policies towards them. Comprehensive and up-to-date surveys are provided of recent developments and the state of knowledge in the major areas of research in this field as of the latter part of the 1980's, written at a level suitable for use by non-specialist economists and students on advanced graduate courses. Each chapter can be read independently, although they are organized into sections.For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/he

A Textbook on Macroeconomic Knowledge and Analysis

The Handbook brings together a systematic review of the research topics, empirical findings, and methods that comprise modern labor economics. It serves as an introduction to what has been done in this field, while at the same time indicating possible future trends which will be important in both spheres of public and private decision-making.
Part 1 is concerned with the classic topics of labor supply and demand, the size and nature of the elasticities between the two, and their impact on the wage structure. This analysis touches on two fundamental questions: what are the sources of income inequality, and what are the disincentive effects of attempts to produce a more equal income distribution?
The papers in Part II proceed from the common observation that the dissimilarity in worker skills and employer demands often tempers the outcomes that would be expected in frictionless labor markets. And the last
section of the Handbook deals explicitly with the role of institutional structures (e.g. trade unions) that now form an important part of modern labor economics.

The collection of chapters in the "Handbook of Population and Family Economics" and their organization reflect the most recent developments in economics pertaining to population issues and the family. The rationale, contents, and organization of the "Handbook" evolve from three premises. First, the family is the main arena in which population outcomes are forged. Second, there are important interactions and significant causal links across all demographic phenomena. Third, the study of the size, composition, and growth of a population can benefit from the application of economic methodology and tools. The diversity and depth of the work reviewed and presented in the "Handbook" conveys both the progress that has been made by economists in understanding the forces shaping population processes, including the behavior of families, and the many questions, empirical and theoretical, that still remain. For more information on the Handbooks in Economics series, please see our home page on http: //www.elsevier.nl/locate/hes

What are the goals ofmonetary policy and how are they transmitted?

Top scholars summarize recent evidence on the roles of money in the economy, the effects ofinformation, and the growing importance of nonbank financial institutions. Their investigations lead to questions about standard presumptions about the rationality of asset markets and renewed interest in fiscal-monetary connections. Stopping short of advocating conclusions about the ideal conduct of policy, the authors focus instead on analytical methods and the changing interactions among the ingredients and properties that inform monetary models. The influences between economic performance and monetary policy regimes can be both grand and muted, and this volume clarifies the present state of this continually evolving relationship.
Presents extensive coverage of monetary policy theories with an eye toward questions raised by the recent financial crisis Explores the ingredients, properties, and implications of models that inform monetary policy Observes changes in the formulation of monetary policies over the last 25 years "

How can economists define social preferences and interactions?

Culture, familial beliefs, religion, and other sources contain the origins of social preferences. Those preferences--the desire for social status, for instance, or the disinclination to receive financial support--often accompany predictable economic outcomes. Through the use of new economic data and tools, our contributors survey an array of social interactions and decisions that typify homo economicus. Their work brings order to the sometimes conflicting claims that countries, environments, beliefs, and other influences make on our economic decisions.

Describes recent scholarship on social choice and introduces new evidence about social preferences
Advances our understanding about quantifying social interactions and the effects of culture
Summarizes research on theoretical and applied economic analyses of social preferences

How does education affect economic and social outcomes, and how can it inform public policy? Volume 3 of theHandbooks in the Economics of Education uses newly available high quality data from around the world to address these and other core questions. With the help ofnew methodological approaches, contributors cover econometric methods and international test score data. They examine the determinants of educational outcomes andissues surrounding teacher salaries and licensure. And reflecting government demandsfor more evidence-based policies, they take new looks at institutional feaures of school systems. Volumeeditors Eric A. Hanushek(Stanford), Stephen Machin (University College London) and Ludger Woessmann (Ifo Institute for Economic Research, Munich) draw clear lines between newly emergingresearch on the economics of education and prior work. In conjunction with Volume 4, theymeasureour current understanding of educationalacquisition and its economic and socialeffects.
Uses rich data to study issues of high contemporary policy relevanceDemonstrates how education serves as an importantdeterminant of economic and social outcomesBenefits fromthe globalization of research in the economics of education"

What new tools and models are enriching labor economics?

"Developments in Research Methods and their Application" (volume 4A) summarizes recent advances in the ways economists study wages, employment, and labor markets. Mixing conceptual models and empirical work, contributors cover subjects as diverse as field and laboratory experiments, program evaluation, and behavioral models. The combinations of these improved empirical findings with new models reveal how labor economists are developing new and innovative ways to measure key parameters and test important hypotheses.
Investigates recent advances in methods and models used in labor economics Demonstrates what these new tools and techniques can accomplish Documents how conceptual models and empirical work explain important practical issues

Economists examine the genesis of technological change and the ways we commercialize and diffuse it. The economics of property rights and patents, in addition to industry applications, are also surveyed through literature reviews and predictions about fruitful research directions.

- Two volumes, available as a set or sold separately

Expert articles consider the best ways to establish optimal incentives in technological progress

Science and innovation, both their theories and applications, are examined at the intersections of the marketplace, policy, and social welfare.

Economists are only part of an audience that includes attorneys, educators, and anyone involved in new technologies.

Applied financial econometrics subjects are featured in this second volume, with papers that survey important research even as they make unique empirical contributions to the literature. These subjects are familiar: portfolio choice, trading volume, the risk-return tradeoff, option pricing, bond yields, and the management, supervision, and measurement of extreme and infrequent risks. Yet their treatments are exceptional, drawing on current data and evidence to reflect recent events and scholarship. A landmark in its coverage, this volume should propel financial econometric research for years.

Presents a broad survey of current research
Contributors are leading econometricians
Offers a clarity of method and explanation unavailable in other financial econometrics collections

Experimental methods in economics respond to circumstances that are not completely dictated by accepted theory or outstanding problems. While the field of economics makes sharp distinctions and produces precise theory, the work of experimental economics sometimes appear blurred and may produce results that vary from strong support to little or partial support of the relevant theory.
At a recent conference, a question was asked about where experimental methods might be more useful than field methods. Although many cannot be answered by experimental methods, there are questions that can only be answered by experiments. Much of the progress of experimental methods involves the posing of old or new questions in a way that experimental methods can be applied.
The title of the book reflects the spirit of adventure that experimentalists share and focuses on experiments in general rather than forcing an organization into traditional categories that do not fit. The emphasis reflects the fact that the results do not necessarily demonstrate a consistent theme, but instead reflect bits and pieces of progress as opportunities to pose questions become recognized.
This book is a result of an invitation sent from the editors to a broad range of experimenters asking them to write brief notes describing specific experimental results. The challenge was to produce pictures and tables that were self-contained so the reader could understand quickly the essential nature of the experiments and the results.

Law can be viewed as a body of rules and legal sanctions that channel behavior in socially desirable directions for example, by encouraging individuals to take proper precautions to prevent accidents or by discouraging competitors from colluding to raise prices. The incentives created by the legal system are thus a natural subject of study by economists. Moreover, given the importance of law to the welfare of societies, the economic analysis of law merits prominent treatment as a subdiscipline of economics. Our hope is that this two volume Handbook will foster the study of the legal system by economists.
*The two volumes form a comprehensive and accessible survey of the current state of the field.
*Chapters prepared by leading specialists of the area.
*Summarizes received results as well as new developments.

Law can be viewed as a body of rules and legal sanctions that channel behavior in socially desirable directions for example, by encouraging individuals to take proper precautions to prevent accidents or by discouraging competitors from colluding to raise prices. The incentives created by the legal system are thus a natural subject of study by economists. Moreover, given the importance of law to the welfare of societies, the economic analysis of law merits prominent treatment as a subdiscipline of economics. This two volume Handbook is intended to foster the study of the legal system by economists.
*The two volumes form a comprehensive and accessible survey of the current state of the field.
*Chapters prepared by leading specialists of the area.
*Summarizes received results as well as new developments.