This book aims at addressing the emergence of a 'new consensus in macroeconomics' (NCM), following the end of the 'old consensus' and the 'golden age' period of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the spur of the 'schools of thought' controversies thereafter. The book deals not only with the question of whether a consensus has actually emerged, but also elaborates on the many aspects of this new consensus that exercised macroeconomics over the recent past.

This book offers a novel understanding of money by moving away from the dominant lens of economics through which it is usually seen. In contrast to the economic frameworks of "money", the volume examines philosophical discourses on money through conceptual frameworks that explain how monetary value manifests in various empirical monetary systems. It showcases how the increasingly abstract nature of the objects that stand proxy for money could be conceptualized ontologically, highlighting the predominance of digital money today, as well as contemporary monetary innovations such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Provocative, yet grounded in a sound theoretical framework, this book will be of interest to scholars, students, and teachers interested in money or monetary value, across various domains and disciplines such as philosophy, economics, sociology, anthropology, finance, science, and technology studies, as well as the interested general reader.

Digital technology has revitalized the landscape of the global economy. As digital currency, such as bitcoin and IOTA, continues to become more prominent in society, conducting further research in this area is vital to promoting economic advancements. Digital Currency: Breakthroughs in Research and Practice is a critical source of academic knowledge on the use of computers, smartphones, and the internet to purchase goods and services using virtual currency. The security and privacy aspects of using digital currency are also explored. Highlighting a range of pertinent topics such as electronic commerce, online transaction payment, and web-based electronic money, this book is an ideal reference source for business executives, financial analysts, business professionals, economists, IT professionals, and researchers interested in emerging trends in digital currency and finance.

A comprehensive and profoundly relevant history of interest from one of the world's leading financial writers, The Price of Time explains our current global financial position and how we got here In the beginning was the loan, and the loan carried interest. For at least five millennia people have been borrowing and lending at interest. The practice wasn't always popular--in the ancient world, usury was generally viewed as exploitative, a potential path to debt bondage and slavery. Yet as capitalism became established from the late Middle Ages onwards, denunciations of interest were tempered because interest was a necessary reward for lenders to part with their capital. And interest performs many other vital functions: it encourages people to save; enables them to place a value on precious assets, such as houses and all manner of financial securities; and allows us to price risk.All economic and financial activities take place across time. Interest is often described as the "price of money," but it is better called the "price of time: " time is scarce, time has value, interest is the time value of money.Over the first two decades of the twenty-first century, interest rates have sunk lower than ever before. Easy money after the global financial crisis in 2007/2008 has produced several ill effects, including the appearance of multiple asset price bubbles, a reduction in productivity growth, discouraging savings and exacerbating inequality, and forcing yield starved investors to take on excessive risk. The financial world now finds itself caught between a rock and a hard place, and Edward Chancellor is here to tell us why. In this enriching volume, Chancellor explores the history of interest and its essential function in determining how capital is allocated and priced.

Acclaim for the first edition: 'Peter Bernholz's book brings together his comprehensive studies of inflation from the fourth century to the present, showing their common elements and their differences. This is an impressive work that bankers, central bankers, economists and laymen can read with pleasure and profit. I recommend it highly.' - Allan H. Meltzer, The Hoover Institution, Stanford Exploring the characteristics of inflations and comparing historical cases from Roman times up to the modern day, this book provides an in depth discussion of the subject. It analyses the high and moderate inflations caused by the inflationary bias of political systems and economic relationships, as well as the importance of different monetary regimes in containing them. The differences for the possible size of inflations among monetary regimes like metallic currencies, the gold standard and fiat paper money are discussed. It is shown that huge budget deficits of government have been responsible for all hyperinflations. This revised second edition debates whether a growth of the money supply exceeding that of real Gross Domestic Production is a necessary or sufficient reason for inflation and also includes a new concluding chapter, which explores the long-term tendencies to create, maintain and abolish inflation-stable monetary regimes. Moreover, the conditions for long-term inflation-stable monetary regimes in history are explored. By surveying thirty hyperinflations, Peter Bernholz demonstrates that certain economic traits have been stable characteristics of inflations over the centuries, and illustrates their causes. He also examines the consequences of high inflations for unemployment, the distortions between relative prices and the political conditions that allow a return to stable monetary regimes after high inflations, given the inflationary tendencies of political systems. This book will appeal to a wide-ranging audience, including students, economists, historians, political scientists and sociologists looking to improve their knowledge of monetary regimes and inflation. Bankers, businessmen and politicians attempting to solve the problems caused for them by inflation, will also find this to be a useful read.

This book examines the history of what became one of Portugal's largest banks, the Caixa Geral de Depositos. The bank was founded in 1876 by the state to run public deposits, and evolved into a savings bank, catering for both public and private deposits. Its history goes beyond the history of banking, as it ties in with the role of the state in the banking sector and financial markets. The book weaves in and out of different political and international contexts, following the many changes of the Portuguese political regime and of its interactions with the national and international economy. The most important lesson from the study is that publicly owned institutions can compete successfully with the private sector when they simultaneously cater for the interests of policy makers as well as those of the public, in this case, the depositors. The history of the Caixa Geral de Depositos therefore shows how the state of a peripheral economy is capable of successfully managing a large financial institution when the right set of incentives is in place. This work will be a valuable resource for researchers and students of financial and economic history at both the advanced undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It will also provide interesting insights for practitioners in the financial sector.

This book offers a novel understanding of money by moving away from the dominant lens of economics through which it is usually seen. In contrast to the economic frameworks of "money", the volume examines philosophical discourses on money through conceptual frameworks that explain how monetary value manifests in various empirical monetary systems. It showcases how the increasingly abstract nature of the objects that stand proxy for money could be conceptualized ontologically, highlighting the predominance of digital money today, as well as contemporary monetary innovations such as cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. Provocative, yet grounded in a sound theoretical framework, this book will be of interest to scholars, students, and teachers interested in money or monetary value, across various domains and disciplines such as philosophy, economics, sociology, anthropology, finance, science, and technology studies, as well as the interested general reader.

This two volume set reprints 28 papers on fiscal and monetary policy interpreted broadly enough to include such issues as the effects of government debt and intergenerational accounting. It emphasizes problems that are not specific to a particular country but are relevant for all developed market economies. Fiscal and Monetary Policy is divided into three parts; the first deals with the problems that are common to both fiscal and monetary policies; the second deals with fiscal policy and the third with monetary policy.Fiscal and Monetary Policy includes important articles on the effects of lags on the feasibility of stabilization policy, time inconsistency, the motivation of monetary and fiscal authorities, the Lucas critique, Ricardian equivalence, the choice of monetary targets, feedback rules, international aspects of monetary policy and the appropriate role of government in the monetary system.

India's financial sector has undergone significant changes following the start of the economic liberalization in the early 1990s. In addition to providing important information on monetary and financial issues in India, this book also provides examples to analyze a developing economy by using macro-financial data. The book also focuses on three main topics, that is, monetary policy, financial markets and finance-poverty nexus, and provides new insights into these issues by applying some recently developed quantitative techniques.

Over the last three decades, inflation targeting (IT) has become the most popular monetary policy framework among larger economies. At the same time, its constituting features leave room for different interpretations, translating into various central banks' institutional set-ups. Against this backdrop, this book investigates the importance of institutional arrangements for policy outcomes. In particular, the book answers the question of whether there are significant differences in IT central banks' institutional set-ups, and-if yes-whether they influence the ability of monetary authorities to meet their policy goals. The book examines around 70 aspects related to independence, accountability and transparency of 42 IT central banks over the last 30 years. Based on the analysis, it can be concluded that the quality of the institutional set-ups materially affects monetary policy effectiveness. In fact, a visible improvement of institutional arrangements resulting from pursuing an inflation targeting strategy can be treated as its lasting contribution to central banking. Thus, despite the recent critique of the framework, its prospects continue to be rather favourable. Overall, for the advocates of inflation targeting, the findings of the book can be seen as identifying the sources of IT strengths, while for IT opponents, they may be viewed as indicating which elements of IT institutional set-ups should be kept even if the need to replace this strategy with another regime will, indeed, result in a change. Given the role monetary policy plays within the economy, such knowledge may have significant implications. Therefore, the book will be relevant for different audiences, including scholars and researchers of monetary economics and monetary policy, and will be essential reading for central banks already pursuing an IT strategy or those preparing to adopt one. Importantly, the book includes supplementary indices of proposed institutional arrangements that assess a range of aspects related to IT central bank's independence, accountability, and transparency. Readers thus have access to the author's full database, which covers individual indices for all monetary authorities investigated across the given period of analysis.

This book is a Festschrift to Annamaria Simonazzi and embraces the themes that she has contributed to over the years through her insightful and inspiring works. It brings together contributions from a number of distinguished European economists, which pay tribute to her by engaging in a dialogue with her research, simultaneously reflecting on the process of growing economic disintegration in the European Union, its causes and its possible remedies. The book shows the deep interrelations between macroeconomic issues and the social sphere, and points to the need to rethink the very foundations of European economic policies as an effective antidote to growing imbalances and disintegration. In particular, the effects of austerity are assessed alongside the dimensions of inequality, gender discrimination, poverty, and unemployment, broadening the perspective also beyond the Eurozone. The authors envision a progressive society, in which investments in research and intelligent industrial policies govern the processes of technological change and drive the economy towards a more efficient and more equal model of development characterized by high productivity and high wages. While some chapters deal directly with policy issues, policy suggestions and proposals are scattered throughout the whole book. This volume will appeal to academics, economists, and policy-makers interested in understanding the policy response of European institutions to the challenges posed by both the Great Recession and subsequent developments in the European economies. The book is written in an engaging and accessible way, and the themes are broad enough to generate interest from the international public.

This book introduces readers to the world of international financial markets and their integration on a global and regional scale. The author presents the theoretical and practical issues concerning the processes of financial market integration, with a particular focus on the monetary union. The empirical research results are based on econometric modeling, thus simplifying them for a non-specialist audience, who can instead concentrate on the author's conclusions, which comprise the results of these complicated research methods. The author outlines the role and functions of financial markets in the economy, in particular the relationship between financial intermediaries and financial markets and tackles the question of integration of new EU member countries' financial markets within the eurozone. The integration of financial markets in an international context is inevitable, and the author argues that we must learn how to benefit from it from in terms of economic growth. This book will be a valuable resource for students of economics and finance, particularly those studying financial management and international business and finance, as well as professionals in these fields. Further, this book will be of interest to anyone looking to discover more about the problems of globalization and the integration of financial markets into the modern economy.

Neoclassical economics has been criticized from various angles by orthodox schools. The same can be said about its particular branch: the theory of the firm. This book demonstrates how a successful theory of the firm can be presented without flawed notions of a neoclassical framework and used to comprehend actual business history. The author argues that we should start from the assumption that businesses are inevitably imponderable, as that is their nature, in the process of economic evolution. The book offers an in-depth exploration of neoclassical limitations by examining each of the small details associated with the famous MR = MC rule. It follows a step-by-step approach, which starts off with neoclassical assumptions and then moves into more empirically sound theory, based on modeling logic and rooted in real world examples. The author presents a novel discussion on the size of the firm, both in terms of classifying a firm's expansion and about the factors that limit the size of the firm and argues how formal pricing theory can be built using more indeterminate assumptions about firms. Further, there is a discussion on how firms are rooted in amorphous industries, which helps to explain economic progress better by emphasizing the importance of economic experiments, mistakes and bankruptcies. This is a valuable reference for scholars and researchers who are interested in a range of topics from microeconomics, through pricing theory to industrial organization, history of economic thought and managerial economics.

Freedom, Opportunity, and Security is a book on government economic policy which will have some appeal to both sides of the political divide. The book starts from basic principles to develop the case for a free economy, and then presents the case for policies to provide opportunity and security. However, all policies are subject to the reality constraint that the average real wage equals the average level of productivity. Downing's incisive analysis considers many questions in regard to economic policy. For instance, why Keynesians are right that aggregate demand stabilization is crucial, but wrong to think that discretionary policy is the best way to achieve it. He also answers why government debt could be good or could be bad, depending on what it is used for and how it will be paid back. He analyzes how greedy lenders caused the mortgage crisis, but that greed alone cannot explain why lenders would carelessly lend heedless of the prospects for repayment. Additionally, he explores how concentrated economic power is a problem, but there is risk that government policy ostensibly exercised to benefit the powerless can in fact be twisted to further enrich the rich. Downing offers a comprehensive analysis of every level of economic policy and government structure. Even when we know the best economic policy, there is a problem if the political system rewards candidates who support narrow-interest policies more than general-interest policies. This book offers strategies to improve our dysfunctional presidential nomination system and uncompetitive congressional elections.

In its pursuit to equip the reader with a basic knowledge of Islamic economics, this book divulges the micro-foundations of the discipline, and highlights the predominant schools of thought that exist in the field. It explains, in simple terms, what Islamic economics entails and how it can be studied as a science in relation to the Holy Quran, the Sunnah and the Islamic intellectual tradition based on these two sources. The book familiarizes the reader with knowledge of the basic maxims of the discipline. It then establishes the arguments that are presented by the proponents of religion-based economics, specifically Islam, and apprises readers about the aforementioned schools as they exist. A number of chapters consider the dimension of the dilemmas the discipline is facing, and the chronological progress of the field is reviewed, hence providing a comprehensive overview of the topic. The book deals with the issues about the origins of Islamic economics, the basic methodological questions, the use of the opportunities offered by fiqh in the methodological discussions and the main problems arising from the encounter with other cultures and civilizations. It offers practical solutions, despite the differing schools of thought, not unlike the development of conventional Economics where radical differences between Keynesian, Classical and Monetarist approaches existed. It concludes by incorporating some of the finest works that explain to the reader how Islamic economics may progress as a discipline. This guide will provide both students and researchers in Comparative Economic Studies, Islamic Economics and Islamic Finance with an essential overview of the field.

The Korean Economy: From Growth to Maturity takes an in-depth, amalgamated look at the evolution of Korea's globalization drive from the early 2000s (Kim Dae-jung regime, 1998-2003) to the present period (Park Geun-hye, 2013-2017). The book discusses the role of foreign companies on the sustainability of Korea's economic growth, the relationship between the chaebol and the MNCs, the evolution of Korea's nation brand, and the role of the state in Korea's new economic trajectory (globalization) since the 2000s. With data collected from fieldwork, the book provides both empirical and qualitative insights (economic, socio-cultural and political economic analysis) into the Korean political economy and would be a very useful reference to other emerging economies experiencing similar globalization paths.

There is growing interest among academics and policymakers in the economics of gambling, which has been stimulated by major regulatory and tax changes in the U.S., U.K. Continental Europe, Asia, Australia and elsewhere. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive source of path-breaking research on this topic. To fill this gap, we commissioned chapters from leading economists on all aspects of gambling research. Topics covered include the optimal taxation structure for various forms of gambling, factors influencing the demand and supply of gambling services, forecasting of gambling trends, regulation of gambling, the efficiency of racetrack and sports betting markets, gambling prevalence and behavior, modeling the demand for gambling services, the economic impact of gambling, substitution and complementarities among different types of gambling activity, and the relationship between gambling and other sectors of the economy. These are all important issues, with significant global implications. Specifically, we divide the Handbook into sections on casinos, sports betting, horserace betting, betting strategy, motivation, behavior and decision-making in betting markets, prediction markets and political betting, and lotteries and gambling machines

One World Currency presents a serious study about the need for a single stable currency with timely, historical references and skillful economic analysis by noted economist Jose Rafael Abinader. This book describes how a global and universally accepted currency will lead to economic stability throughout the world as well as the means for the design, implementation, and administration for such a currency. In order to support his proposal, Abinader examines *the competition between the so-called main world currencies, *the U.S. dollar and the Euro, *how competition leads to instability in developed and developing nations.

In the long aftermath of the acute global financial crisis of 2008/09, the need to get economies back on track and to handle high levels of public and private debt has created conflicting objectives. Challenges yet to be mastered are the need to avoid counterproductive measures of adjustment and the persistent need to 'rebalance' the economy with new sources of growth and productivity. Hence, there is an urgent requirement for policies to reverse the decline in public and private investment, and to fuel innovation.These needs, and the corresponding policy challenges, are especially prevalent in Europe, in particular Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe. On this issue, this book contributes important lessons learned from earlier balance sheet recessions. It also addresses the often overlooked link between macroeconomic imbalances and economic inequality. A mix of contributions from academics and policy-makers focus on the interaction between monetary policy and financial stability, adding regional perspectives to the resulting dilemmas and trade-offs. This book is essential reading for the study of economics in emerging economies. Contributors: T. Beck, M. Belka, S. Chakrabarti, D. Daianu, J.B. DeLong, N. Fabris, M. Gachter, M. Geiger, F. Glotzl, D. Gros, M. Holzner, J. in 't Veld, R.C. Koo, R. Kuodis, E. Nowotny, P. Pontuch, R. Raciborski, L. Reichlin, D. Ritzberger-Grunwald, H. Schuberth, M. Singer, L.E.O. Svensson, T. van Treeck

International Macroeconomics for Business and Political Leaders explains the fundamentals of international macroeconomics in a very efficient and approachable text. It explores key macro concepts such as growth, unemployment, inflation, interest, and exchange rates. Crucially, it also examines how these markets are interconnected so that readers will fully understand why economic, political, and social shocks to nations, such as the United States, China, Germany, Japan, and Brazil, must be evaluated in the context of all three macroeconomic markets: goods and services, credit, and foreign exchange. This book is as relevant and useful to individuals who have successfully taken and passed a Principles of Economics course, or more, as it is to those who have never taken any economics in high school or college but are motivated to understand the way international economies act and react. It uses an innovative approach to teach supply and demand principles, without using graphs, so as to be understandable and accessible to any interested reader or audience. This is not a theory-for-theory's-sake textbook but a practice-oriented, common-sense approach to explaining international macroeconomics which quickly connects readers to real world events.

Originally published in 1995, Beyond Capital Labor is a comprehensive empirical study about how and how much technology and regional contextual factors may influence company production and productivity growth. The book constitutes a conceptually consistent and empirically efficient study and provides a consolidated model and an analytical framework to examine the contributions of technology and regional factors to company production and productivity growth. This work goes beyond the current state and brings many scattered theoretical components together to establish an integrated model.

The econometric consequences of nonstationary data have wide ranging im plications for empirical research in economics. Specifically, these issues have implications for the study of empirical relations such as a money demand func tion that links macroeconomic aggregates: real money balances, real income and a nominal interest rate. Traditional monetary theory predicts that these nonsta tionary series form a cointegrating relation and accordingly, that the dynamics of a vector process comprised of these variables generates distinct patterns. Re cent econometric developments designed to cope with nonstationarities have changed the course of empirical research in the area, but many fundamental challenges, for example the issue of identification, remain. This book represents the efforts undertaken by the authors in recent years in an effort to determine the consequences that nonstationarity has for the study of aggregate money demand relations. We have brought together an empirical methodology that we find useful in conducting empirical research. Some of the work was undertaken during the authors' sabbatical periods and we wish to acknowledge the generous support of Arizona State University and Michigan State University respectively. Professor Hoffman wishes to acknowledge the support of the Fulbright-Hays Foundation that supported sabbattical research in Europe and separate support of the Council of 100 Summer Research Program at Arizona State University."

Monetary Stability through International Cooperation contains essays written by high ranking policy makers in the field of central banking and international finance, written in honour of Andre Szasz, who has been Executive Director of De Nederlandsche Bank since 1973, responsible for international monetary relations. Colleagues from several other central banks, from finance ministries and from international institutions pay tribute to him by analysing the conditions fostering European as well as global monetary stability. The book provides an inside view of the thinking of monetary officials at the turn of 1993/1994, when the currency turmoil in the ERM of mid-1993 had subsided and views on its implications for exchange rate management and, more generally, for European integration were taking shape. Topics include exchange rate stabilisation, policy coordination and central bank independence. A second section, on the international monetary system, includes essays on the policy implications of present day dynamic financial markets as well as the role of the IMF. This book, written by insiders for an insider', provides valuable insights to those who are interested in contemporary international monetary relations. "

One World Currency presents a serious study about the need for a single stable currency with timely, historical references and skillful economic analysis by noted economist Jose Rafael Abinader. This book describes how a global and universally accepted currency will lead to economic stability throughout the world as well as the means for the design, implementation, and administration for such a currency. In order to support his proposal, Abinader examines .the competition between the so-called main world currencies, .the U.S. dollar and the Euro, .how competition leads to instability in developed and developing nations."

The object of this volume is to evaluate the pattern and the function of foreign capital in developing countries in a long perspective. The main conceptual instruments employed are the theory of economic growth, and the techniques associated with recent advances in growth econometrics. Empirical work points out that there is no mechanical trade-off between the short-term dangers and the long-run gains from capital market integration, but the growth benefits of foreign capital in transforming economies are conditional on an effective destination of the resources. Over-borrowing and excessive consumption are the main pitfalls in the short as in the long run. Nevertheless, foreign capital can be conducive of faster growth and possibly higher welfare.