This book studies the sustainability and optimality of public debt under different scenarios: the closed economy, the small open economy, and a two-country setting. Sustainability refers to the existence and the stability of the long-run equilibrium. Optimality relates to the path of public debt that maximizes discounted utility. The analysis is conducted within the framework of the Solow model, the overlapping generations model and the infinite horizon model. The government can follow different strategies, it either fixes the deficit ratio or the tax rate. As a result, a fixed deficit ratio generally can be sustained. By contrast, a fixed tax rate generally cannot be sustained. Depending on the chosen fiscal strategy, there exists either an optimal deficit ratio or an optimal tax rate that maximizes the sum of consumption and government purchases per capita.

Originally published in 1967, this book examines the major problems of trade and aid policy posed for the developed countries by the UN Conference on Trade and Development in 1964. Johnson surveys the political and economic setting of the Conference; international aspects of economic development; trade policy to promote development; possible new international arrangements for trade in primary products; and the possibilities offered by international monetary reform for benefitting less developed countries. The divergence between the well-being of developed and less-developed countries remains one the key problems of our time and this book is therefore as relevant now as when it was first published.

Rich and informative case studies throughout bring this book to life for professionals and students alike. Written by one of the leading competitive experts in the world. Tackles a complex issues in a lively and engaging way.

Pandemic Economics applies economic theory to the Covid-19 era, exploring the micro and macro dimensions of the pre-pandemic, pandemic, and post-pandemic phases. Using core economic tools such as marginal analysis, cost-benefit analysis, and opportunity cost, this book explores the breadth of economic outcomes from the pandemic. It shows that a tradeoff between public health and economic health led to widespread problems, including virus infections and unemployment. Taking an international and comparative approach, the book shows that because countries implemented different economic policies, interventions, and timelines during the crisis, outcomes varied with respect to the extent of recession, process of recovery, availability of medical equipment, public health, and additional waves of the virus. Pedagogical features are weaved throughout the text, including country case studies, key terms, suggested further reading, and discussion questions for solo or group study. On top of this, the book offers online supplements comprising PowerPoint slides, test questions, extra case studies, and an instructor guide. This textbook will be a valuable resource for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate courses on pandemic economics, macroeconomics, health economics, public policy, and related areas.

Originally published in 1971, this book presents in a lucid form the basic model of distribution in a two-sector general equilibrium system. While this model has been used by many economists, this was the first synoptic exposition of it to become readily available to students. The first part develops the two-sector model and its properties, using the geometrical tools of international trade theory. The second applies the model to some standard problems in the theory of income distribution, including the economics of redistributive taxes and subsidies, of trade union organization, and of minimum wage laws. The third part converts the model into a growth model and develops the conditions for convergence on a steady-state growth path and for the maximization of consumption per head at all points of time.

Originally published in 1968, this book brings together contributions from social scientists in anthropology, economic history, economics and political science in an exploration of the nature and effects of economic nationalism. The opening essays presents a formal theory of nationalism that relates the phenomenon to rational government processes. Following chapters explore whether nationalism and economic development went together and whether nationalistic economic polices actually promoted development. How far British economic policy was influence by nationalism, or its corollary for a successful country-imperialism is also assessed. Examples from China, Mali, Mexico and Canada are included.

Originally published in 1969, the studies in tis volume deal with the proposal for a multilateral free trade association initiated by North Atlantic countries in the 1960s. Written at a time of protectionism in the USA, policy problems in the EEC and debates over Britain's role within it, as well as discussions about tariff preferences mean that many of the themes in this volume remain as pertinent today as when the book was first published. As editor of the volume, Harry G. Johnson drew together the threads of a global concept that was commanding increasing attention around the world.

This book analyzes the dynamic macroeconomic effects of public capital in industrialized countries. The issue of whether public capital is productive has received a great deal of recent attention. Yet, existing empirical analyses have been limited to a small set of countries. This book presents a new database that provides internationally comparable capital stock estimates for 22 OECD countries for the 1960-2001 period. Building on this database, the book estimates the dynamic effects of public capital using a variety of econometric methods. The results suggest that public capital is productive in OECD countries on average. The theoretical analysis based on a dynamic general equilibrium model shows that the effects of public capital depend crucially on the way the government chooses to finance additional spending.

Pricing or benchmarking is a process of evaluating the performance of a financial company's products and services or systems, against other businesses, considered to be at the top of their field, by applying a measurement of "best in performance." This book includes contributions from the leading global experts in the field who tackle topics such as whether the Islamic financial system has been dependent on the LIBOR / EURIBOR in its benchmarking exercises to date, and thus, whether it will be affected negatively by the predicted non-existence of the LIBOR / EURIBOR from 2021 onwards. They also address the question of whether the Islamic financial system requires benchmarking of its products and services and consider the emergence of Shari ah-justified benchmarking in today's Islamic financial system. Additionally, they look at how benchmarking formulas should be adapted to ensure the satisfaction of customers within the principles of Maqasid al-Shari ah. It takes a legal and institutional approach to the subject, which readers will find particularly valuable, as there are various forms of Islamic finance institutions that do not conform to established models in the finance industry. Furthermore, there are emerging business models that will benefit from this line of investigation. This book offers a timely analysis of these issues and redresses the existing misconceptions and misinterpretations pertaining to benchmarking, in an Islamic finance context, and, as such, provides guidance and strategies for future directions. It will appeal to researchers of Islamic banking, finance, and insurance, as well as, practitioners, particularly standard setting bodies, regulators, and policy makers.

The book provides a meticulous analysis of economic development and concomitant problems in China since the late 1970s and advances suggestions on further economic modernisation and transition from both theoretical and practical angles. Based on theories from development economics and solid empirical studies, the authors, two renowned Chinese economists, provide a perceptive analysis of the Chinese development model in the post-Mao era. They shed light on questions that have perplexed many: How can China sustain the rapid growth of the past 40 years? Is there a unique "China path" to economic progress? They argue compellingly that China's development model has to switch from a manufacturing-driven one to a brand-new approach, centring on scientific and technical innovation and the integration of its existing economic structure into an increasingly complex global economy. Such transformation will help overcome the "middle-income trap" while addressing other institutional and economic challenges. The book will appeal to students, scholars and policymakers interested in the Chinese and global economies, as well as transnational studies in the post-COVID-19 world. General readers willing to obtain a grasp of Chinese economic development from the insider's perspective will also find it useful.

This collection of papers on financial instability and its impact on macroeconomic performance honours Hyman P. Minsky and his lifelong work. It is based on a conference at Washington University, St. Louis, in 1990 and includes among the authors Benjamin M. Friedman, Charles P. Kindleberger, Jan Kregel and Steven Fazzari. These papers consider Minsky's definitive analysis that yields such a clear and disturbing sequence of financial events: booms, government intervention to prevent debt contraction and new booms that cause a progressive buildup of new debt, eventually leaving the economy much more fragile financially.

The views of Thomas Robert Malthus (1766-1834) on population, first published in his Essay on the Principle of Population, 1798, continue to be hotly debated, either acclaimed or opposed, as do his views on macroeconomics. There is a widely held view that his macroeconomics lacks coherence and is merely a collection of isolated jottings. This book challenges this view; it presents textual evidence that Malthus's macroeconomics constitutes a significant system of thought with considerable academic merit. It reawakens debate about the relative merits of Malthus and Ricardo as macroeconomists and contends that Malthus offers important macroeconomic ideas and policy proposals relevant to modern economic problems. It presents and analyses Malthus' ideas on topics such as the determinants of aggregate economic growth; the causes of general depression; the remedies for mass unemployment; the balance between laissez-faire and government intervention; the optimum division of expenditure between consumption, saving, and investment; the distribution of income between wages, profits, and rents; and the degree of economic inequality. Particular emphasis is given to his view that the pattern of distribution of wealth between the upper, lower, and middle classes is a major determinant or factor in the production of wealth, and that continued economic development depends on the growth of a large and affluent middle class. The radical nature of some of his ideas and policy proposals on the ownership and distribution of land is highlighted. An extensive treatment of Say's Law, incorporating aspects of the correspondence between Say and Malthus, addresses the question of whether Malthus showed that Say's Law is merely a truism and lacks any scientific relevance. The book also sheds new light on the nature of the influence of Malthus on Keynes. This combination of a search for textual authenticity and a critical assessment of the views of commentators on Malthus will be of significant interest to students and scholars of economic theory and the history of economics.

Regulation is a public policy approach closely related to calculations of the equilibrium of supply and demand and to cost-benefit analyses. Governments combine a variety of incentives and restrictions on behavior, including laws and regulations, in order to guide enterprises and smaller entities within the economy toward pursuing policies in the public interest. This book offers an in-depth and systematic review of the economic theory of regulation, with particular emphasis on the Chinese context. The basic concepts cover economic and social regulation, regulatory process, regulation under asymmetric information, and capture theory. Drawing on a broad range of cases from across the telecommunications, electric power, and water sectors since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the author explores economic regulation in China with reference to natural monopoly, investment, price level and price structure, entry, and competition. In addition, he discusses theories of externalities and asymmetric information, which are analyzed in the light of China's environmental and product quality regulation. The author argues that the Chinese government has deregulated its economy to a large extent in the past and proposes that the Chinese government will enforce more social regulation in the future. Students and scholars of government regulation, economics, and industrial organization will find this volume to be an essential guide.

This collection of essays on the economics of fiscal federalism contains original research by leading experts in North America and Europe. Reform of fiscal relations between central and subnational governments is an urgent priority in many countries since increased economic integration within and among countries means that goods, services, capital, and human resources can flow across political boundaries more easily than before. Theoretical and applied contributions present conceptual insights, as well as discussions of practical policy questions in countries such as Australia, France, South Africa and the US, the European Union, and transition economies. The structure of intergovernmental transfers, tax competition, and the fiscal implications of labor migration are analyzed for audiences in economics, political science, and public policy. Several of the essays were published in a different form in a special issue of International Tax and Public Finance.

This 1997 book examines the income distributional experience of fifteen developed economies - representing a wide range of social and economic strategies - over the past two decades. Experts from each of the countries have carefully documented the pattern of distributional change in individual earnings and household income in their countries and analysed the driving forces behind these changes. Separate chapters are devoted to the experiences of Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, West and former East Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. The authors examine the effects on the inequality of household income of the development of individual earnings, unemployment, inflation, public sector transfers and taxes, and demographic changes.

This book provides an in-depth look at the primary foundations of economics explored through the lens of the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation. Each episode of the hit television series, Parks and Recreation, includes material to help an eager learner understand the basics of one of the most fascinating fields of study. Whether you've wondered how economists determine specialization or why fast-food restaurants continue to pop up around your neighborhood, the same situations have occurred in Pawnee. Each chapter highlights key scenes or major episodes that demonstrate how the characters experience economics in exactly the same way the rest of us do. This text primarily builds on the debates that take place between Leslie, Ron, and their co-workers, while also exploring key questions such as whether governments should try to help people through direct intervention or sell off all the swings to private corporations and let businesses handle day-to-day decisions. Learn how incentives can make Jerry appear to be a more productive employee short-term, but end up causing chaos. Do you wonder what it would be like to live in the early 1800s? Thankfully Leslie has already done that for us. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a fun way to learn the principles of economics, including as a supplementary text, and for all fans of Parks and Recreation. Take the advice of Tom and Donna and treat yo' self to this key read.

This book provides an in-depth look at the primary foundations of economics explored through the lens of the Pawnee Department of Parks and Recreation. Each episode of the hit television series, Parks and Recreation, includes material to help an eager learner understand the basics of one of the most fascinating fields of study. Whether you've wondered how economists determine specialization or why fast-food restaurants continue to pop up around your neighborhood, the same situations have occurred in Pawnee. Each chapter highlights key scenes or major episodes that demonstrate how the characters experience economics in exactly the same way the rest of us do. This text primarily builds on the debates that take place between Leslie, Ron, and their co-workers, while also exploring key questions such as whether governments should try to help people through direct intervention or sell off all the swings to private corporations and let businesses handle day-to-day decisions. Learn how incentives can make Jerry appear to be a more productive employee short-term, but end up causing chaos. Do you wonder what it would be like to live in the early 1800s? Thankfully Leslie has already done that for us. This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a fun way to learn the principles of economics, including as a supplementary text, and for all fans of Parks and Recreation. Take the advice of Tom and Donna and treat yo' self to this key read.

There are many different types of convergence within economics, as well as several methods to analyse each of them. This book addresses the concept of real economic convergence or the gradual levelling-off of GDP (gross domestic product) per capita rates across economies. In addition to a detailed, holistic overview of the history and theory, the authors include a description of two modern methods of assessing the occurrence and rate of convergence, BMA-based and HMM-based, as well as the results of the empirical analysis. Readers will have access not only to the conventional econometric approach of convergence but also to an alternative one, allowing for the convergence issue to be expressed in the context of automatic pattern recognition. This approach is universal as it can be adapted to a variety of input data. The lowest aggregation level study investigates regional convergence through the case of Polish voivodships, where convergence towards the leader is tested. On a higher level of aggregation, the authors examine the existence of GDP convergence in such groups as the EU28, North Africa and the Middle East, sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Caribbean, South-East Asia, Australia and Oceania, or post-socialist countries. For each group, the real convergence is tested using the two above-mentioned approaches. The results are widely discussed, broadly illustrated, interpreted, and compared. The analysis allows readers to draw interesting conclusions about the causes of convergence or the drivers behind divergence. The book will stimulate further research in the field, but the research was conducted from the point of view of individual countries.

Why do some nations and cities attain high levels of economic and social prosperity? What makes them so successful? The kinds of factors habitually cited in answer to these questions explain why nations improve their economic and social performance but not why a small group of nations (or cities) perform much better than the rest. Economists stress efficient markets, effective industries and functional factors like transport, health, education, and infrastructure. Political scientists emphasize honest and democratic government. This book argues that three further factors are key: paradoxes, patterns, and portals. To an unusual degree, the world's most prosperous economies and societies think and act paradoxically. At their core are enigmatic, puzzle-like belief systems that elicit cooperation via abstract patterns rather than personal connections. They are often accompanied by high levels of autodidactic self-directed learning and intense creation in the arts and sciences. These factors, when combined, facilitate large-scale interactions between strangers and, in so doing, they energize markets, industries, cities, and publics. Pattern-based political economies are especially prominent in the portal cities, regions, and nations that are concentrated along the world's maritime circumference in North America, East Asia, North-Western Europe, and Australasia. It is only by integrating additional cognitive, cultural, creative, and geographic elements that we can truly understand the successes of prosperous economies. This book represents a significant contribution to the literature on political economy, economic growth, and prosperity.

The growth of world trade has been stagnant in recent times; trade liberalisation now has been challenged. The recent rise of anti-globalisation calls for a better integration in East Asia. How should East Asia manage its openness? This book provides profound analyses on rules of origins, non-tariff measures, restrictiveness in services and investment. It gives insight into how East Asian countries should shape its trade, investment and industrial policies. This book helps to answer what kind of a better integration it should be, and how East Asia can realise it.

Islam encourages business and financial transactions as a way of securing the basic needs for all human beings, but these need to be conducted in accordance with the principles contained in the Qur'an and Sunnah. However, these legal concepts are not classified subject-wise, and the verses on commercial law, like all other topics, are scattered throughout the Qur'an, making it difficult for readers to gain a full understanding of the topic. This, therefore, is the first comprehensive book to demystify Islamic contract law and specifically Islamic financial contracts, and to examine its roots and history. The book is written in a clear style to allow for a greater understanding of the more challenging and misunderstood areas pertaining to Islamic business and financial contracts. It also contributes a series of chapters which address the market niche and need, concerning Shariah compliance for Islamic financial products and services. The book is divided into 16 chapters in order to provide a holistic and thorough overview of Islamic law of contract. It covers the objections and misconceptions surrounding Islamic business and financial contracts. It also includes the key features and guiding principles of Islamic law of contract and offers technical know-how, illustrating the concept of formation of a contract, as well as the essential elements of a valid contract. The authors also offer a discussion on the system of options under Islamic business and financial contracts and potential solutions to breach of contracts. The book will serve as a handy reference for scholars and students of Islamic business and finance and Islamic commercial law and will also be beneficial for practitioners as well as legal and judicial officers. It will open new doors for further research in the field of Islamic financial contracts.

This book examines the objectives of public debt management and the re-emerging issue of separating monetary policy formulation from fiscal and debt management. The recent Great Recession has resulted in a rethink of the objectives and working of macroeconomics, and in many countries, including India, has led to the scope of fiscal operations being expanded and debt-to-GDP ratios increasing significantly. Consequently, debt management has encountered considerable difficulties, and the need for coordination between monetary and debt management has assumed greater significance. The book discusses the important issue of the independence of central banks and the need for coordination between debt managers, monetary authorities and finance ministries if debt operations are separated from monetary management.

The essays in this volume explore the special type of policies that were needed in the post-socialist countries of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union in order to reduce inflation and to stop the fall in output that followed the collapse of Communism. The book contains a number of general studies that discuss the type of reforms needed and how they condition policies and analyse the aggregate relationship between reducing inflation, implementing structural reforms, and renewing the process of growth. It includes a number of country studies (on the Baltics, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Slovenia and the Ukraine) about their stabilization experiences. Thus the emerging picture is one of renewal of growth in those countries that proceeded early and with the determination to implement market-oriented reforms and to stabilize their macroeconomy, and of gradual and slow stabilization of output in those countries that entered the process only very recently.

This landmark book describes and analyzes the original contributions Sir Roy Harrod made to fields including microeconomics, macroeconomics, international trade and finance, growth theory, trade cycle analysis and economic methodology. Harrod's prolific writings reflect an astounding and unique intellectual capacity, and a wide range of interests. He became Keynes biographer and wrote a volume on inductive logic. At the policy level, Harrod played a central role in the formulation of the Keynes Clearing Union plan for international monetary reform. He also actively participated in British politics and government and gained recognition as an expert in the field of international economics. Yet, until now, Harrod has remained an underrated economist, commonly misunderstood and misrepresented. This is the first major intellectual biography of Harrod to be published.