While income redistribution is one of the most important functions of modern governments, the world has changed greatly since this first edition of Economics of Income Redistribution was published in 1983. Pension systems and medical programs are in a state of crisis in many parts of the world and the general political mood is shifting away from income redistribution. Economics of Income Redistribution (2nd edition) brings this work up to date by discussing the economic and political aspects of income redistribution. It examines the classical moral objective of redistribution to assist the poor, as well as income transfer for pensions, education and intra-family gift giving.

As a result of the regional debt crisis, most governments of Latin America in the 1980s entered into a process of profound policy change, from an import substitution oriented strategy to a focus upon export-promotion, with an emphasis upon market liberalization. According to mainstream economic theory, the effect of this shift would be to favour agriculture. This book, with contributors from Latin America and Europe, surveys the results on agriculture of a decade of policy change.

This major book presents an objective and penetrating economic analysis of stabilization and reform in Eastern Europe, combined with a compassionate plea for individual rights and solidarity. Janos Kornai - one of the most famous Hungarian economists of his generation - focuses on two main issues: first, the problems of stabilization and adjustment, which are painful but necessary conditions of sustainable growth and second, the reform of the 'premature welfare state' of Eastern European countries, which is disproportionately large in relation to the resources available and which was hitherto managed in a highly centralized, bureaucratic and paternalistic way. Struggle and Hope goes beyond most other books on the transition process by placing considerable emphasis on the understanding of the ethical implications and the historical roots of each problem, and also the political conditions and consequences of change. Although economic efficiency is extremely important, it is not the exclusive criterion; ethical principles of individual sovereignty and solidarity must also receive particular attention. Professor Kornai's insightful analysis will become required reading for all those concerned with the process of post-socialist transition.

From a state of relative unanimity macroeconomic theory has, during the last decade, been dispersed in various directions. A dominant trend has been the monetarist and new classical economics with their undaunting equilibrium postulates and fatalistic views on economic policy. Keynesian responses to this development have been varied and thus give rise to further diffusion.;This book provides a broad overview of the development of macroeconomic theory and methods. Against this background fundamental questions are addressed by the authors, reconciliation of micro and macroeconomic theory, the concept of income, and new suggestions for the basic framework of macroeconomic theorizing. The authors all address different topics from different perspectives, but there is a shared critical attitude towards the rejuvenation of an infalliable "invisible hand". From there on proper methods of macroeconomic modelling are explored and basic theoretical issues are examined.

This volume argues that a renewed commitment to sound macroeconomic policies and structural reforms is needed for countries in South East Europe, or 'the Balkans' achieve to sustainable prosperity, along with enhanced support from the international community. New fiscal and financial architecture has valuable lessons for policymakers in SEE.

Macroeconomic analysis has undergone profound and controversial changes during the past twenty-five years and, as such, economists have developed and evolved their approaches to the discipline. Reflections on the Development of Modern Macroeconomics presents a collection of eight original essays, from leading scholars, each of which focuses on an important issue relating to these developments.These accessible, reflective surveys include: to stabilize or not to stabilize: is that the question? Brian Snowdon and Howard Vane the rhetoric and methodology of modern macroeconomics Roger Backhouse how relevant is Keynesian economics today? Keith Shaw what remains of the monetarist counter-revolution? Thomas Mayer macroeconomics: before and after rational expectations Patrick Minford the ups and downs of modern business cycle theory Cillian Ryan and Andrew Mullineux the role of imperfect competition in new Keynesian economics Huw Dixon politics and the macroeconomy: endogenous politicians and aggregate instability Brian Snowdon and Howard Vane This book will attract a wide readership among intermediate undergraduates, as well as postgraduates and lecturers in the fields of macroeconomics and the history of economic thought.

This book examines real and monetary analysis in economic paradigms and looks at real analysis in a range of economic theories. The book also examines interest rate, distribution and capital accumulation through post-Keynesian models, including the Kaldor-Robinson and Kaleckian models, and distribution conflict, inflation and monetary policy in a credit economy.

This 72nd volume in the series discusses such topics as the influence of the environment, the effect of the type of regime, regional case studies, and generalizations.

This book provides a new methodological approach to money and macroeconomics. Realizing that the abstract equilibrium models lacked descriptions of fundamental issues of a modern monetary economy, the focus of this book lies on the (stylized) balance sheets of the main actors. Money, after all, is born on the balance sheets of the central bank or commercial bank. While households and firms hold accounts at banks with deposits, banks hold an account at the central bank where deposits are called reserves. The book aims to explain how the two monetary circuits - central bank deposits and bank deposits - are intertwined. It is also shown how government spending injects money into the economy. Modern Monetary Theory and European Macroeconomics covers both the general case and then the Eurozone specifically. A very simple macroeconomic model follows which explains the major accounting identities of macroeconomics. Using this new methodology, the Eurozone crisis is examined from a fresh perspective. It turns out that not government debt but the stagnation of private sector debt was the major economic problem and that cuts in government spending worsened the economic situation. The concluding chapters discuss what a solution to the current problems of the Eurozone must look like, with scenarios that examine a future with and without a euro. This book provides a detailed balance sheet view of monetary and fiscal operations, with a focus on the Eurozone economy. Students, policy-makers and financial market actors will learn to assess the institutional processes that underpin a modern monetary economy, in times of boom and in times of bust.

This book is the first comprehensive account of the numerous attempts made since the Second World War to provide food security for all. It provides a reference source for all those involved and interested in food security issues.

Macroeconomic Policy in the Canadian Economy investigates developments in Canada over the last forty years, using recent advances in the field of applied econometrics. In particular, the book analyzes the theoretical foundations of public sector activities and evaluates the several theories of government growth. Issues of convergence are also investigated as they manifest themselves in per capita income across Canadian provinces, and as to how successful government income equalization policies have been in furthering such convergence. Moreover, the openness of the Canadian economy is investigated in terms of the importance of exports on GDP growth and of its participation in the world of an internationally integrated capital market.

The book also analyzes monetary policy issues and investigates the role of monetary aggregates and the effectiveness of monetary policy. Finally, it addresses the issue of the existence or not of electoral and partisan cycles in Canada, by incorporating both fiscal and monetary principles and applying them to the lively world of Canadian politics.

Financial (unofficial) dollarization is widely seen as a critical source of financial fragility in both developing and emerging economies. This volume provides a rigorous and balanced perspective on the causes and implications of dollarization, and the basic policies and options to deal with it: the adaptation of the monetary and prudential frameworks, the development of local-currency substitutes, and the scope for limiting dollarization through administrative restrictions.

A collection of papers from leading thinkers to celebrate the work of the late Wynne Godley, and his enormous contribution to the field of monetary economics. Chapters include in-depth discussions of the revolutionary economic modelling systems that Godley introduced, as well as his prescient concerns about the global financial crash.

Since I first published Management of Foreign Exchange Risk (Lexington Books, 1978), financial innovation-spurred, in part, by exploding volatility in currency prices-has revolutionized the theory and praxis of foreign exchange risk management. Old-fashioned forward contracts have surrendered market share to currency swaps and options as well as to their perpetually multiplying derivatives. Interestingly, forex derivatives now provide a low cost and highly efficient method of transferring risk from the firms that are exposed to risk but which would rather not be (i. e. , risk-hedgers) to those which are not exposed but which-in exchange for a fee-would assume some exposure to risk (i. e. , risk bearers). Perhaps more importantly, foreign exchange risk management, which was once a fairly mechanical task confmed to the international treasury function, is now permeating global strategic management. Indeed, since the demise of the Bretton Woods system of pegged exchange rates, the cost of forex hedging instruments has fallen so dramatically that firms can readily avail themselves of hedging products which can reduce unwanted risk, thereby potentially gaining a competitive advantage over rivals that do not. Management and Control of Foreign Exchange Risk has grown out of a fundamental revision of my earlier work published almost 20 years ago. In the process, my thinking about risk and its mathematics has greatly benefitted from my association with John Cozzolino and Charles Tapiero.

If America's tangible cash could be transformed into federal electronic currency (FEDEC), the social and economic benefits would be profound. Warwick argues eloquently why government should mandate cashlessness, then demonstrates not only why it can be done, but how to go about doing it. He shows that because the private sector will not and can not replace cash, government must do it; indeed, government FEDEC is superior to a system of private currencies. Cash handling costs the nation between one and two percent of the GDP, and cash is the lubricant for most of America's crime. By eliminating cash the saving from crime reduction alone would amount to hundreds of billions of dollars yearly. But naturally there would be issues of special concern if a FEDEC system were to become a hot public debate. Privacy, security, practicality, convenience are just some. Warwick tackles them here and, as no other books attempts to do, offers a practical plan for creating cashlessness. Well reasoned, meticulously documented, "Ending Cash" is a major contribution to what could soon become an important social debate--a debate that should, in the author's judgment, be started now.

"Ending Cash" argues that America's tangible cash should be transformed into a new federal electronic currency (FEDEC). Although Warwick admits that private bank card systems and/or the Internet may some day supplant cash, he explains why this will not happen soon, certainly not in our lifetime. Warwick emphasizes that the unrealized benefits of cashlessness far exceed the mere convenience that citizens generally look for and enjoy in bank card usage. While stressing the relative inefficiency of cash, said to run $60 billion a year just in handling costs, he illustrates the profound role cash plays in most crimes, including tax evasion, all of which could be prevented with a resultant public savings in the hundreds of billions of dollars each year if a federal system were created.

Against the background of consumer-oriented EFT systems, including credit-, debit-, and smart-card systems, Warwick explains the disinterest of industry in achieving cashlessness, as well as its organizational incapacity to carry it out. He thus argues the need for government involvement. Among the many facets he covers are privacy, security, technical requirements, and operational costs. He also explains the issue of employing private currencies as a replacement for cash, and how federal e-currency might impact the banking and bank card industries.

In this important book, industrial and enterprise reform over the last decade in Eastern Europe is critically reviewed in light of increasing Eastern integration into the global economy. The authors argue for the further globalization of Eastern European enterprise networks as a condition for recovery and growth in the region. Empirical evidence is provided from five industrial sectors (car industry, telecommunication, shipbuilding, computers, software), including case studies and international comparisons.

Amartya Sen "Equality," I spoke the word As if a wedding vow Ah, but I was so much older then, I am younger than that now. Thus sang Bob Dylan in 1964. Approbation of equality varies not only with our age (though it is not absolutely clear in which direction the values may shift over one's life time), but also with the spirit of the times. The 1960s were good years for singing in praise of equality. The spirit of the present times would probably be better reflected by melodies in admiration of the Federal Reserve System. And yet the technical literature on the evaluation and measurement of economic inequality has grown remarkably over the last three decades. Even as actual economic policies (especially in North America and Europe) have tended to move towards focusing on virtues other than the avoidance of economic inequality, the professional literature on assessing and gauging economic inequality has taken quite a jump forward. A great many different problems have been addressed and effectively sorted out, and new problems continue to be posed and analyzed. The Contents: A Review Jacques Silber has done a great service to the subject by producing this collection of admirablyhelpful and illuminating papers on different aspects of the measurement of income inequality. The reach of this collection is quite remarkable. Along with a thorough overview from the editor himself, the major areas in this complex field have been carefully examined and accessibly discussed.

This book brings together for the first time studies on all aspects of the Malaysian economy. These range from the geological origins and mineral resources, flora, fauna, peoples and cultures, political development, economy and society, environment and ecotourism in Malaysia and encapsulates the integration of the country into the wider international economy. The book also attempts to make Malaysia's current economic and political development more explicable by considering it in the light of these natural and human resource endowments and by exploring how they have changed over time.

The privatization revolution, profit or revenue sharing, and employee participation in enterprise decision making are some of the major characteristics of modern capitalism. Such features can be observed in almost all countries, including Western developed, Third World, and primarily ex-socialist countries. The diffusion of stock ownership, the promotion of economic and industrial democracy, and the globalization of production and finance present new challenges and opportunities and reflect important structural economic and political changes. This book examines all these issues and provides valuable information and suggestions for labor-management relations and international business cooperation.

Little attention has been paid to the role of the European economies, and notably of the euro area, in the current global imbalance of international payments and growth rates, leading to somewhat simplistic views of Euroland contributing to limiting those imbalances and providing a template of economic policy for the twenty-first century. In addition, an influential view continues to stress the need for deeper and more comprehensive supply-side, structural reforms as a means to protect Euroland from potentially adverse global developments and play a positive role in the orderly correction of global imbalances. The contributions in this volume challenge this view and compellingly question, from a variety of angles, many popular beliefs about the road to virtues of Euroland, providing a comprehensive and fresh framework to address important questions for the future of the euro, from a critique of current macroeconomic policy institutions to proposals for both soft and tougher modifications of euro institutions, all pointing to a key question for the future of Europe: will the single currency project contribute to world economic dynamism or will it be driven by the vigour and vitality of others? Will Euroland act as global player or global drag?

This edited volume focuses on economic integration, currency union, and sustainable and inclusive growth in East Africa. It consists of twelve interrelated studies that provide a comprehensive picture of the state and determinants of economic development and cooperation among countries in East Africa, such as Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. The contributions are grouped into five parts: economic integration and its effects on trade; common currency and exchange rate; research, innovation, and knowledge, and shadow economics and corruption; inclusive and sustainable growth; and the conflict-growth nexus and reconstruction. This book will appeal to scholars and decision makers looking for the necessary tools and determinants of economic development and cooperation in East Africa.

This book is about changes in the competitiveness and the restructuring of manufacturing industries in the three leading transition economies of Central Europe (Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic), their integration into the European Union, and their catching up with the old member states in the pre-accession period.

Economic transformation in traditional development economics refers to the transition from an agricultural society to an industrial one. Based on the practical conditions and the experience since reform and opening up in the late 1970s, the author observes that the path China's economy takes is a dual transformation, namely, developmental transformation from an agricultural society to an industrial economy, and institutional transformation from planned economy to market economy. Centering on property ownership reform which is the supreme reform of the dual transformation, this book discusses land ownership approval, stock-holding system reform and the maintaining ownership of private enterprises, etc. Besides, the book expounds on the urbanization in China, believing that it is not only the outcome of the dual transformation but also the booster that will help China's economy continue to develop at a high speed. Independent innovation and industrial upgrading which is the key to the enhancement of enterprises' competitiveness is also covered. The combination or overlapping of the two types of transformations in China has had no precedent in history, and it has not been discussed in traditional development economics. Scholars and students in China's economic studies and development economics studies will be attracted by this book. In addition, this book will be a valuable reference for other developing countries which are undergoing economic transformation.

Market reforms in Latin America have resulted in a variety of outcomes, which have often been disappointing. This books studies market reforms in eight key Latin American countries, aiming to shed light on the question of why similar policies have resulted in a variety of outcomes, ranging from outright failures to clear successes. The book focuses on policy implementation and the factors that impinge on the sustainability of market reforms. The findings provide a valuable contribution to the ongoing debate on the reasons for market reform 'fatigue'.

The internationalization of the German political economy in the postwar era, particularly in the "restructuring" period since the mid-1970s, has produced a special socio-economic and political formation which this anthology views as a "hegemonic project". Based upon a virtually total West German integration into the "West", this project has evolved within a new international division of labour and a global political system in which the German state, with its extreme level of export dependency and need for stability, has become a guardian and champion of the global status quo. The contributors to this book have taken account of the developments which have arisen from the events of 1989 in the former GDR.