Uncertainty, Expectations, and Financial Instability


Book Description

Eric Barthalon applies the neglected theory of psychological time and memory decay of Nobel Prize–winning economist Maurice Allais (1911–2010) to model investors' psychology in the present context of recurrent financial crises. Shaped by the behavior of the demand for money during episodes of hyperinflation, Allais's theory suggests economic agents perceive the flow of clocks' time and forget the past at a context-dependent pace: rapidly in the presence of persistent and accelerating inflation and slowly in the event of the opposite situation. Barthalon recasts Allais's work as a general theory of "expectations" under uncertainty, narrowing the gap between economic theory and investors' behavior. Barthalon extends Allais's theory to the field of financial instability, demonstrating its relevance to nominal interest rates in a variety of empirical scenarios and the positive nonlinear feedback that exists between asset price inflation and the demand for risky assets. Reviewing the works of the leading protagonists in the expectations controversy, Barthalon exposes the limitations of adaptive and rational expectations models and, by means of the perceived risk of loss, calls attention to the speculative bubbles that lacked the positive displacement discussed in Kindleberger's model of financial crises. He ultimately extrapolates Allaisian theory into a pragmatic approach to investor behavior and the natural instability of financial markets. He concludes with the policy implications for governments and regulators. Balanced and coherent, this book will be invaluable to researchers working in macreconomics, financial economics, behavioral finance, decision theory, and the history of economic thought.




Modeling Economic Instability


Book Description

This book offers a fresh perspective on the early history of macroeconomics, by examining the macro-dynamic models developed from the late 1920s to the late 1940s, and their treatment of economic instability. It first explores the differences and similarities between the early mathematical business cycle models developed by Ragnar Frisch, Michal Kalecki, Jan Tinbergen and others, which were presented at meetings of the Econometric Society and discussed in private correspondence. By doing so, it demonstrates the diversity of models representing economic phenomena and especially economic crises and instability. Jan Tinbergen emerged as one of the most original and pivotal economists of this period, before becoming a leader of the macro-econometric movement, a role for which he is better known. His emphasis on economic policy was later mirrored in the United States in Paul Samuelson’s early work on business cycles analysis, which, drawing on Alvin Hansen, aimed at interpreting the 1937-1938 recession. The authors then show that the subsequent shift in Samuelson's approach, from the study of business cycle trajectories to the comparison of equilibrium points, provided a response to the econometricians' critique of early Keynesian models. In the early 1940s, Samuelson was able to link together the tools that had been developed by the econometricians and the economic content that was at the heart of the so-called Keynesian revolution. The problem then shifted from business cycle trajectories to the disequilibrium between economic aggregates, and the issues raised by the global stability of full employment equilibrium. This was addressed by Oskar Lange, who presented an analysis of market coordination failures, and Lawrence Klein, Samuelson's first PhD student, who pursued empirical work in this direction. The book highlights the various visions and approaches that were embedded in these macro-dynamic models, and that their originality is of interest to today's model builders as well as to students and anyone interested in how new economic ideas come to be developed.




Dynamic Macroeconomics


Book Description

An attempt to revitalize the traditions of nonmarket clearing approaches to macroeconomics. Using tools from dynamic analysis, the text introduces a consistent, integrated framework for disequilibrium macroeconomic dynamics and explore its relationship to the competing equilibrium dynamics.




Feedback Economics


Book Description

This book approaches economic problems from a systems thinking and feedback perspective. By introducing system dynamics methods (including qualitative and quantitative techniques) and computer simulation models, the respective contributions apply feedback analysis and dynamic simulation modeling to important local, national, and global economics issues and concerns. Topics covered include: an introduction to macro modeling using a system dynamics framework; a system dynamics translation of the Phillips machine; a re-examination of classical economic theories from a feedback perspective; analyses of important social, ecological, and resource issues; the development of a biophysical economics module for global modelling; contributions to monetary and financial economics; analyses of macroeconomic growth, income distribution and alternative theories of well-being; and a re-examination of scenario macro modeling. The contributions also examine the philosophical differences between the economics and system dynamics communities in an effort to bridge existing gaps and compare methods. Many models and other supporting information are provided as online supplementary files. Consequently, the book appeals to students and scholars in economics, as well as to practitioners and policy analysts interested in using systems thinking and system dynamics modeling to understand and improve economic systems around the world. "Clearly, there is much space for more collaboration between the advocates of post-Keynesian economics and system dynamics! More generally, I would like to recommend this book to all scholars and practitioners interested in exploring the interface and synergies between economics, system dynamics, and feedback thinking." Comments in the Foreword by Marc Lavoie, Emeritus Professor, University of Ottawa and University of Sorbonne Paris Nord




Stabilizing an Unstable Economy


Book Description

“Mr. Minsky long argued markets were crisis prone. His 'moment' has arrived.” -The Wall Street Journal In his seminal work, Minsky presents his groundbreaking financial theory of investment, one that is startlingly relevant today. He explains why the American economy has experienced periods of debilitating inflation, rising unemployment, and marked slowdowns-and why the economy is now undergoing a credit crisis that he foresaw. Stabilizing an Unstable Economy covers: The natural inclination of complex, capitalist economies toward instability Booms and busts as unavoidable results of high-risk lending practices “Speculative finance” and its effect on investment and asset prices Government's role in bolstering consumption during times of high unemployment The need to increase Federal Reserve oversight of banks Henry Kaufman, president, Henry Kaufman & Company, Inc., places Minsky's prescient ideas in the context of today's financial markets and institutions in a fascinating new preface. Two of Minsky's colleagues, Dimitri B. Papadimitriou, Ph.D. and president, The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, and L. Randall Wray, Ph.D. and a senior scholar at the Institute, also weigh in on Minsky's present relevance in today's economic scene in a new introduction. A surge of interest in and respect for Hyman Minsky's ideas pervades Wall Street, as top economic thinkers and financial writers have started using the phrase “Minsky moment” to describe America's turbulent economy. There has never been a more appropriate time to read this classic of economic theory.




Nber Macroeconomics Annual 1993


Book Description

This annual is designed to stimulate research on problems in applied economics, to bring frontier theoretical developments to a wider audience, and to accelerate the interaction between analytical and empirical research in macroeconomics




Crisis and Inequality


Book Description

Spiralling inequality since the 1970s and the global financial crisis of 2008 have been the two most important challenges to democratic capitalism since the Great Depression. To understand the political economy of contemporary Europe and America we must, therefore, put inequality and crisis at the heart of the picture. In this innovative new textbook Mattias Vermeiren does just this, demonstrating that both the global financial crisis and the European sovereign debt crisis resulted from a mutually reinforcing but ultimately unsustainable relationship between countries with debt-led and export-led growth models, models fundamentally shaped by soaring income and wealth inequality. He traces the emergence of these two growth models by giving a comprehensive overview, deeply informed by the comparative and international political economy literature, of recent developments in the four key domains that have shaped the dynamics of crisis and inequality: macroeconomic policy, social policy, corporate governance and financial policy. He goes on to assess the prospects for the emergence of a more egalitarian and sustainable form of democratic capitalism. This fresh and insightful overview of contemporary Western capitalism will be essential reading for all students and scholars of international and comparative political economy.




Agent-Based Models in Economics


Book Description

The first step-by-step introduction to the methodology of agent-based models in economics, their mathematical and statistical analysis, and real-world applications.




How Does Political Instability Affect Economic Growth?


Book Description

The purpose of this paper is to empirically determine the effects of political instability on economic growth. Using the system-GMM estimator for linear dynamic panel data models on a sample covering up to 169 countries, and 5-year periods from 1960 to 2004, we find that higher degrees of political instability are associated with lower growth rates of GDP per capita. Regarding the channels of transmission, we find that political instability adversely affects growth by lowering the rates of productivity growth and, to a smaller degree, physical and human capital accumulation. Finally, economic freedom and ethnic homogeneity are beneficial to growth, while democracy may have a small negative effect.




Macroeconomics


Book Description

At the cutting edge of the subject area, the authors bring the macroeconomics that researchers and policymakers use today into focus. By developing a coherent set of tractable models, the book enables students to explore and make sense of the pressing questions facing global economies.Carlin and Soskice connect students with contemporary research and policy in macroeconomics. The authors' 3-equation model - extended to include the financial system and with an integrated treatment of inequality - equips students with a method they can apply to the enduring challenges stirred by the financial crisis and the Great Recession.Key features* Engaged with the latest developments in macroeconomic research, policy, and debate, the authors make the cutting edge accessible to undergraduate readers* The theme of inequality is integrated throughout in modelling and applications, with incomplete contracts in labour and credit markets underpinning the presence of involuntary unemployment and credit constraints* The content distils business cycles into a 3-equation model of the demand side, the supply side, and the policy maker, providing a realistic and transparent model which students can deploy to address the questions that interest them* Open economy modelling for both flexible and fixed exchange rate regimes builds on the same foundations and handles oil and climate shocks, as well as the Eurozone crisis* Features thorough treatment of the financial system and how to integrate the financial and business cycles, including coverage on policy design and implementation for financial stability in the wake of the 2008-9 financial crisis and an exploration of hysteresis in the context of the Great Recession* Comprehensive coverage of monetary policy including the ample reserves regime and of fiscal policy and debt dynamics* Unified treatment of exogenous and endogenous growth models emphasizing the different mechanisms through which diminishing returns to capital can be offset, while Chapter 17 on the ICT revolution examines the implications of innovation and technological change on the future of work and inequality* Contains a chapter considering contemporary quantitative macroeconomics research - including the Heterogeneous Agent New Keynesian (HANK) model - exposing students to the tools that researchers currently use, as well as the benefits and limitations of these methods* End-of-chapter 'Checklist questions' enable students to assess their comprehension, while 'Problems' prompt students to apply independent critical thought* Also available as an e-book enhanced with access to The Macroeconomic Simulator, Animated Analytical Diagrams, and self-assessment activities enabling students to recap content and investigate how models work at their own paceDigital formats and resourcesThis title is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats and is supported by online resources.The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with self-assessment activities, multi-media content, and links that offer extra learning support. For more information visit:www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks/This title is supported by a range of online resource for students including multiple-choice-questions with instant feedback, interactive Animated Analytical Diagrams, access to The Macroeconomic Simulator, web appendices which develop chapters 1, 4, 7, and 18, In addition, lecturers can access PowerPoint slides to accompany each chapter and answers to the problems and questions set in the book.