"Central bankers worldwide welcome the recent increase of research on payment systems. This volume, providing an expert overview on this timely subject, should be required reading for us all". - Erkki Liikanen, Governor of the Bank of Finland Monetary policy has been at the centre of economic research from the early stages of economic thought, but payment system research has attracted increased academic attention only in the past decade. This book's succeeds in merging these two so far largely separated fields. Innovative and groundbreaking, Schmitz and Woods initiate research on the interdependence of institutional change in the payments system and monetary policy, examining the different channels via which payment systems affect monetary policy. It explores important themes such as: conceptualization and methods of analysis of institutional change in the payments system determinants of institutional change in the payments system - political-economy versus technology empirics of institutional change in the retail and in the wholesale payments systems - policy initiatives and new technologies in the payments system implications of institutional change in the payments system for monetary policy and the instruments available to central banks to cope with it. The result is an accessible overview of conceptual and methodological approaches to institutional change in payment systems, and a comprehensive and yet thorough assessment of its implications for monetary policy. The insights this timely book provides will be invaluable for researchers and practitioners in the field of monetary economics.

Foreign Exchange is big business in the City of London. At the last official count, turnover on the London foreign exchange market averaged a staggering $504 billion a day. No other financial centre in the world even comes close to matching this total. Thirty one per cent of global foreign exchange activity takes place in the United Kingdom, compared with only sixteen per cent in the United States and nine per cent in Japan. However, this has not always been so. A hundred years ago, the London foreign exchange market played second fiddle to more important centres in New York, Paris and Berlin. This book charts the inexorable rise of foreign exchange in London over the past century and is the first full-length study of this amazing transformation.

Focusing on Fritz Machlup, Connell presents the story of the Bellagio Group and its contribution to modern finance. Initiated by Machlup the Bellagio Group was made up of thirty-two non-government academic economists. During the years between 1964 and 1977 the Group met eighteen times and made a series of recommendations for policymakers.

Central bankers like the idea of low inflation, but their actions have a distribution effect of richness. During the 1990s, the independence of central banks increased. What have central banks done with this independence? When we infer that all actors have interests, whether governments, voters or interest groups, why would we assume that central banks are technocratic institutions maximizing the welfare of the state? To answer these questions, this study looks at the Argentinean Central Bank between 1991 and 2007 and researches the incentives of a central bank to act strategically. This book uses a model which is an adaptation of Helmke's model (2002, 2005) for the Supreme Court of Justice. An inter-temporal conflict of interest explains the Central Bank's behavior.

The Theory of Money and Finance, by the same author, provided an introduction to the basic theory and concluded by introducing the idea of monetary disequilibrium, with the money supply process operating through bank credit creation. First published in 1981, this book develops that theme and provides empirical evidence in support of such an approach.

This volume addresses the attractiveness of financial centers with a primary focus on the mutual fund industry. It uses different empirical analysis approaches in an attempt to disentangle the reasons for location attractiveness and in order to identify its influence on fund pricing. The presented research tackles an issue that is fundamental to the understanding of organizational behavior in finance - the rationale in the decision-making process of market participants and its consequences for an economy.

Congressional ratings have fallen to single digits; citizens believe that Congress fails to do the things its members are publicly paid to do. What does Congress do for our dollars, and how has that changed in the last 50 years? What was the cost to taxpayers for Bill Clinton's impeachment hearings? What about the Benghazi investigation and efforts to obtain the votes required to repeal Obamacare while failing to consider Zika virus funding bills? What is the true cost of earmarks? Why do Congress members continue to get paid during government shutdowns? Congress's increasing use of continuing resolutions and agencies' almost semi-annual preparations for government shutdowns come at a significant cost. Combining extensive documentary research with interviews of current and former members and staffers, The Cost of Congress assesses not only how Congress spends tax dollars on its operations but also what Americans receive for those dollars. Kunz and Atsas assign dollar values, using federal data, to congressional practices and policies. They examine the costs of producing legislation, court challenges, and Supreme Court reversals. They also look at the costs of committee and special investigations, committee assignments, staffing and facilities, and such perks as the gym, meals, and franking. Readers-taxpayers from all walks of life-will come away with a comprehensive view of the costs of operating Congress. Sheds light on the public costs of congressional lawmaking and operations as Congress becomes increasingly polarized and perceived as unable to govern Reveals the significant cost of Congress's increasing use of continuing resolutions and agencies' almost semi-annual preparations for government shutdowns Supplements conclusions developed through data analysis and statistical modeling with in-depth interviews with former and current members and staff that provide personal stories Provides insight into controversial events and decisions, such as the 1995 and 2013 government shutdowns, the closure of the Office of Science and Technology, and the reallocation of some legislator salaries from discretionary to mandatory spending

This book pulls together papers presented at a conference in honour of the 1981 Nobel Prize Winner for Economic Science, the late James Tobin. Among the contributors are Olivier Blanchard, Edmund Phelps, Charles Goodhart and Marco Buti. One of the main aims of the conference was to discuss what potential role monetary policy has on economic activity and unemployment reduction in three key currency zones - the United States, European Union and Japan.

The third volume of the series presents contributions to the proceedings of the 12th and 13th annual conference of the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration at Sofia University. The fourteen articles by authors of six nations (Bulgaria, China, Germany, Italy, Russia, and Switzerland) have been selected by international peer reviews. The contributions are arranged in the sections theoretic approaches, empirical studies on European countries and contributions to sustainable development in theory and application. The volume contains 33 graphs, 20 tables and three drawings.

Harcourt has made substantial and wide-ranging contributions to economics in general, and to post Keynesian economics in particular. In this volume more than forty leading economists pay tribute to and critically evaluate his work. The contributors represent a wide range of schools in economics, and include Nobel Laureates Paul Samuelson and Robert Solow.

What do cacao beans, cowrie shells, paper cards, cigarettes and digital databases all have in common? At some time, they have been used as a form of money. Money is an essential aspect of everyday life and something that we usually take for granted until it all goes wrong. This book traces the role, growth and impact of money and finance on individuals, human civilisation and the type of economy we live in. The financial history of the world reads like a fascinating novel with innumerable twists and turns. We strive for financial stability and security, yet this often proves surprisingly ephemeral. Just as we hope we have reached a new plateau of prosperity, the financial system has a habit of throwing a spanner in the works, forcing us to change and adapt to new circumstances. This book traces the financial system from its birth as a credit system in ancient Mesopotamia, to the financial revolutions of the 20th and 21st centuries. This is the story of money, finance and economics but also its interaction with people, governments and society. Why did the American forces desperately try to destroy money during the American Revolution? Why do we tend to succumb to boom and busts? And if inflation is bad, why is deflation even worse? Also, the book looks at the effect money has on ourselves. Does money make us irrational? Is money really the root of all evil, or should we celebrate money for its potential to create prosperity and overcome poverty?

The 12 papers in this edited volume discuss key elements of monetarism, including coin denominations, the role of bullion and case studies of substitute moneys.

This book examines monetary policy, central banking and exchange rate regimes in the Middle East and North Africa. Part I covers central banking and monetary policy, while Part II covers monetary policy and exchange rate regimes. Some chapters focus on the monetary frameworks of particular countries, including Lebanon, Algeria, Syria, Tunisia, Morocco, and Turkey, outlining the different systems operated in each case, considering their successes and failures, and discussing important issues such as government policy, macroeconomic performance, inflation and inflation targeting, central bank independence and the impact of broader political economic developments on the conduct of monetary policy. Other chapters cover thematic issues across the whole region, including: central bank independence, operations of debtor central banks, the effect of exchange rates on inflation, and the effect on countries' trade of alternative exchange rate regimes. Drawing on the insights of scholars and policy-makers, this book is a vital resource for anyone wanting to understand the economies of the Middle East and North Africa.

First published in 1988, this reissue reconstructs the reaction of financial markets to war, defeat, and revolution in Europe, from the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in June 1914, to the bankruptcy of Germany in July 1931. Dr. Brown demonstrates how the contemporary investor can improve the wisdom of his decisions by gaining an understanding of the financial history of these years. He also demonstrates how the skilled investor might project different political and economic realities and estimate their probability of recurrence. In his reconstruction work, Brendan Brown has undertaken extensive research into the financial press in the various European countries, seeing this as a prime clue to the mood in markets at the time. The findings will interest not just economists and financial specialists, but also readers keen to improve their understanding of the political and social events of the period.

Credit cooperatives in India make up one of the largest rural financial systems in the world. Playing a vital role in dispensing credit in largely agricultural areas, they are also the weakest link in the formal credit delivery system. This book provides a valuable case study of the traditional banking system in this developing economy, exploring the reasons for the poor performance of credit cooperatives in India and suggesting measures to revitalise them.

Although this sector has grown along with the micro-credit sector to provide finance for the poor and the less creditworthy borrowers, financing development still remains a major problem in the developing world. However, the financial health of credit cooperatives in India has been a matter of perennial concern. The author argues that cooperatives hold great promise for financial inclusion if the financial position of the cooperatives can be consolidated. Providing a detailed analysis of the historical evolution of cooperatives in India, the book establishes the link between different segments of this institutional system and their performance in a commercial sense to show that cooperatives occupy an important place in India 's financial edifice as they play a key role in the multi-agency framework for rural credit delivery. As such, the analysis provides a valuable reference for scholars of economics, Asian economics and finance.

Learn all about money with this relevant Spanish nonfiction book. Ideal for young readers, the book includes simple text, helpful pictures, a connected project, a fiction piece related to the topic, and more beneficial features. This 20-page full-color Spanish book details the various coins and bills used in the United States. It also covers key economics subjects in an easy-to-follow way and includes an extension activity for kindergarten. Perfect for the classroom, at-home learning, or homeschool to learn about the economy, ways to spend money, and the value of coins and bills.

This edited collection assesses the level of financial integration in the European Union (EU) and the differences across the countries and segments of the EU financial system. Progress in financial integration is key to the EU's economic growth and competitiveness and although it has advanced substantially, the process is still far from completion. This book focuses on the pace of financial integration in the EU with special emphasis on the new EU Member States and investigates their progress in comparison with 'old' EU countries. The book is the first of its kind to include and evaluate the effects of the global financial crisis on the process of EU financial integration. In particular, the book's contributors address the issue of whether a high degree of financial integration contributed to the intensification of the financial crisis, or whether a low level of integration prevented countries and financial industries from some of the negative effects of the crisis. Although most of the chapters apply contemporary econometric tools, the technical part is always reduced to indispensable minimum and the emphasis is given to economic interpretation of the results. The book aims to offer an up to date and insightful examination of the process of financial integration in the EU today.

Credit spreads express how markets evaluate the riskiness of corporate bonds compared to risk-free investments. Since credit spreads have been highly volatile especially during the last decade it is important for academics and practitioners alike to understand the dynamic interdependencies between credit spreads and their determinants. Based on a sample of European corporate bonds and different macroeconomic variables the author analyzes the determinants of credit spreads during the period of 1999 to 2009. With a macro-finance term structure model he shows that the European corporate bond market is largely integrated with some remaining segmentation. Furthermore, panel regressions yield that declining liquidity leads to a significant widening of credit spreads especially during the recent financial crisis. Finally, he demonstrates based on a cointegration analysis that a long-term relationship exists between credit spreads and their determinants and that credit spreads were significantly overpriced after the collapse of Lehman Brothers but have almost returned to equilibrium towards the end of 2009.

Comparative in structure and covering an extensive number of transition countries in its survey, this comprehensive book overviews the development of the banking systems in Central and Eastern European since the communist era until the present time. Taking in a range of countries including Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Croatia, Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Barisitz - an economist with the Central Bank of Austra - analyzes the evolution of legal foundations, banking supervision, banks' major sources of assets, liabilities, earnings and related changes, banking crises, restructuring, rehabilitation programs, the role of foreign-owned banks and FDI. A significant publication, it is fascinating reading for all those studying and working in the areas of transition economy, macro and monetary economy and economic history

A very commonly observed phenomenon in developing and emerging market economies is the use of another country's currency (whether the US dollar or another currency) in lieu or in addition to the local currency. The most common type of this financial phenomenon is partial (de facto) dollarization where foreign currencies are used side by side with local currency for saving and borrowing purposes in addition to serving as medium of exchange. Governments in these countries have been encouraging dollarization for years by allowing their citizens to save and borrow from local banks in foreign currency. Yet the existence of multiple currencies on banks' balance sheets on both the asset and liability side poses risks to the health and stability of the banking system. This book evaluates the practical aspects of partial dollarization in countries such as Turkey, South Korea, Peru, and Cambodia among others. Starting with the origins of the phenomenon, the impact on banking systems and financial depth of the credit markets are discussed along with risks to the banking systems. Challenges faced by Central Banks and banking regulators are evaluated using recent country studies.

The activities of central banks are relevant to everyone in society. This book starts by considering how and why in general central banks evolved and specifically the special aspects of the contribution of the Northern European Central Banking Tradition. With that foundation, the book will then turn to a series of contemporary themes. Firstly, this book looks at independence, how central banks can actually influence their respective economies, goals, responsibilities and governance. This collection of papers, formulated from the joint conference of the Bank of Finland and the Deutsche Bundesbank in November 2007, will help motivate continuing research into the institutional design of central banks and promote a better understanding of the many challenges central banks are facing today. This volume gives a detailed perspective on the benefits of price stability and central bank independence and, due to the advances in macroeconomic theory, has prompted a substantial rethink on central banks' institutional design. With contributions from such scholars as Anne Sibert and Forrest Capie and a foreword by Erkki Liikanen and Professor Axel A. Weber, this volume will be useful reading for monetary economists around the world as well as all those with an interest in central banks and banking more generally.

The Theory of Money and Finance, by the same author, provided an introduction to the basic theory and concluded by introducing the idea of monetary disequilibrium, with the money supply process operating through bank credit creation. First published in 1981, this book develops that theme and provides empirical evidence in support of such an approach.

First published in 1981, this book concerns itself with the different ways in which money is used, the relationships which then arise, and the institutions concerned in maintaining its various functions. Thomas Crump examines the emergence of institutions with familiar and distinctive monetary roles: the state, the market and the banking system. However, other uses of money - such as for gambling or the payment of fines - are also taken into account, in an exhaustive, encyclopedic treatment of the subject, which extends far beyond the range of conventional treatises on money.

Monetary policy is still one of the most contested areas of modern economics, and since the original publication of Policy Makers on Policy much has changed. This new edition collects contributions from leading policy makers and practitioners to reflect on the aims and objectives of monetary policy and on what it can achieve, combining the old chapters from Gordon Brown, Tony Blair, Kenneth Clarke, Geoffrey Howe, Nigel Lawson, and others, with new perspectives from Mervyn King, Jean-Claude Trichet, Ernst Welteke, Otmar Issing, and Alastair Darling. A new far-reaching introduction from the editors Forrest Capie and Geoffrey Wood puts these important contributions to the discussion of economic policy in the new context. They look at what lessons can be learnt from the earlier discussions, what anticipations of present difficulties can be found in them and what, in other words, the comparatively recent past teaches us about how to deal with the turbulent present. The second edition of Policy Makers on Policy brings together otherwise inaccessible commentaries and reflections on policy by those involved in making it, along with a commentary on and context for their remarks. Thus the book will be of great interest and use to students of economics and politics, and indeed anyone with an interest in current economic developments and their roots in the past.

The contributors to this edited volume explore the effects of various development strategies and associated macroeconomic policies on women's well-being and progress towards gender equality. Detailed analyses of major UN reports on gender reveal the different approaches to assessing absolute and relative progress for women and the need to take into account the specifics of policy regimes when making such assessments. The book argues that neoliberal policies, especially the liberalization of trade and investment, make it difficult to close gender wage and earnings gaps, and new gender sensitive policies need to be devised. These and other issues are all examined in more detail in several gendered development histories of countries from Latin America and Asia.