Comparative Performance of U.S. Econometric Models


Book Description

Each year, a number of different economic groups in the USA use their own econometric models to forecast what will happen to the economy in the coming year. This volume consists of chapters by distinguished economists comparing the different models now being used.




A Companion to Economic Forecasting


Book Description

A Companion to Economic Forecasting provides an accessible and comprehensive account of recent developments in economic forecasting. Each of the chapters has been specially written by an expert in the field, bringing together in a single volume a range of contrasting approaches and views. Uniquely surveying forecasting in a single volume, the Companion provides a comprehensive account of the leading approaches and modeling strategies that are routinely employed.




A Macroeconomics Model and Stabilisation Policies for the OPEC Countries


Book Description

First published in 1999, this book focuses on the macroeconomics issues which directly affect OPEC countries, aiming to set them in the context of the overall development effort. The most extant theoretical and empirical aspects in macroeconomics are integrated smoothly with institutional issues and policy questions. The analysis is illustrated through examples to show how the theories relate to the real world, especially to ongoing debates on developing economies as well as debates that encompass both developing and OPEC and developed countries.




Global Economic Modeling: A Volume In Honor Of Lawrence R Klein


Book Description

Global econometric models have a long history. From the early 1970s to the present, as modeling techniques have advanced, different modeling paradigms have emerged and been used to support national and international policy making. One purpose of this volume — based on a conference in recognition of the seminal impact of Nobel Prize winner in Economic Sciences Lawrence R Klein, whose pioneering work has spawned the field of international econometric modeling — is to survey these developments from today's perspective.A second objective of the volume is to shed light on the wide range of attempts to broaden the scope of modeling on an international scale. Beyond new developments in traditional areas of the trade and financial flows, the volume reviews new approaches to the modeling of linkages between macroeconomic activity and individual economic units, new research on the analysis of trends in income distribution and economic wellbeing on a global scale, and innovative ideas about modeling the interactions between economic development and the environment.With the expansion of elaborated economic linkages, this volume makes an important contribution to the evolving literature of global econometric models.




The Nobel Memorial Laureates in Economics


Book Description

. . . this book will continue to share shelf-space next to my current textbooks. As a librarian, such utility makes this a desirable addition to any educator s collection. As a history of economic thought book, Vane and Mulhearn have brought together a breadth of information that can be found through disparate sources but at a cost of effort and, especially for students, qualitative decisions regarding sources. . . The convenience of their starting methodology, breadth over depth coverage, and clear intention of writing to an audience of students makes this a useful text. Kirk Douglas Johnson, Journal of the History of Economic Thought The essays summarizing the main achievements of the prize winners are well written and to the point. They are short enough that they never cause the reader to lose interest, but substantive enough to let you know what the winners accomplishments amount to. These compact, factually accurate essays mark the real value of the book as a reference work. . . there is little for which to fault the authors. Vane and Mulhearn have done a very nice job with the book, and it is an added bonus that it includes a formal portrait photograph of each prize winner. Bradley W. Bateman, History Political Economy . . . Vane and Mulhearn have produced a useful reference work. John Quiggin, Economic Analysis and Policy This collection has the capacity to surprise the reader. You learn all sorts of new and sometimes admirable things about these economists and about the richness of the profession that is often obscured from students of the subject. John Lodewijks, History of Economics Review This volume provides a non-technical description of the main published works of every Nobel Memorial (Economics) winner from the first annual award in 1969 to 2004 . . . This is a reference book par excellence . . . it will interest not only those having some involvement with economics, past or present, but it should also attract more general readers wanting to unravel some of the mysteries surrounding economics and economists. Economic Outlook and Business Review Vane and Mulhearn have produced an introduction to the careers and major publications of the 55 economists awarded the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel between 1969 and 2004. The short essays on each economist are readable and accurate; they provide a discussion of the subjects, major contributions and an introduction to the secondary literature, often with the outstanding reports on the laureates work provided to the Economic Prize Committee of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The collection is introduced with a review of the prize and the common characteristics of the winners thus far, all neatly summarized in a table with each laureate s year and country of birth, university, year of first and higher degrees, affiliation at the time of the award, field of study, and a summary citation. This volume provides a very useful introduction to the development of economic ideas in the last three-quarters of the 20th century. Highly recommended. D.E. Moggridge, Choice Every serious research economist will want to have a look at this comprehensive work. Edwin Burmeister, Research Professor of Economics, Duke University, US The award of the Nobel Prize has, for more than thirty years, been economists way of informing the public at large about what work most of them think is important, and about who has done it. Anyone seeking to understand the development of recent economic ideas and the profession that has created them must deal with the Prize s history, and Vane and Mulhearn have provided an indispensable guide to it brief, readable and accurate. David Laidler, Professor Emeritus and Bank of Montreal Professor, University of Western Ontario, Canada This is a splendid account of the personal stories of the Nobel Laureates in Economics, the diversity of practice of recent economists, and, perhaps above all, the nature o




Econometric Model Performance


Book Description

Models of the American economy exist in government, research institutes, universities, and private corporations. Given the proliferation, it is wise to take stock because these models come from diverse sources and describe different conditions from alternative points of view. They could be saying different things about the economy. The high-level comparative studies in this volume, gathered from several issues of the International Economic Review, with a substantive introduction and the addition of more comparative material, evaluate the performance of eleven models of the American economy: the Wharton Mark Ill Model; Brookings Model; Hickman-Coen Annual Model; Liu-Hwa Monthly Model; Data Resources, Inc. (DRI) Model; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Model; Michigan Quarterly Econometric (MOEM) Model; Wharton Annual and Industry Model; Anticipation Version of the Wharton Mark Ill Model/Fair Model; U.S. Department of Commerce (BEA) Model. Each of the proprietors or builders of these models describes his own system in his own words. These studies come closer than ever before to standardizing model operations for testing purposes. Some of the models are monthly, while others are annual. but the quarterly unit of time is the most frequent. Some are demand oriented, others are supply oriented, and focus on the input-output sectors of the economy. Some use only observed. objective data; others use subjective. anticipatory data. Both large and small models are included. In spite of the diversity, the contributors have cooperated to trace the differences between their models to root causes and to report jointly the results of their research. There are also some general papers that look at model performance from outside the CEME group.




Econometric Business Cycle Research


Book Description

Econometric Business Cycle Research deals with econometric business cycle research (EBCR), a term introduced by the Nobel-laureate Jan Tinbergen for his econometric method of testing (economic) business cycle theories. EBCR combines economic theory and measurement in the study of business cycles, i.e., ups and downs in overall economic activity. We assess four methods of EBCR: business cycle indicators, simultaneous equations models, vector autoregressive systems and real business indicators. After a sketch of the history of the methods, we investigate whether the methods meet the goals of EBCR: the three traditional ones, description, forecasting and policy evaluation, and the one Tinbergen introduced, the implementation|testing of business cycles. The first three EBCR methods are illustrated for the Netherlands, a typical example of a small, open economy. The main conclusion of the book is that simultaneous equation models are the best vehicle for EBCR, if all its goals are to be attained simultaneously. This conclusion is based on a fairly detailed assessment of the methods and is not over-turned in the empirical illustrations. The main conclusion does not imply the end of other EBCR methods. Not all goals have to be met with a single vehicle, other methods might serve the purpose equally well - or even better. For example, if one is interested in business cycle forecasts, one might prefer a business cycle indicator or vector autoregressive system. A second conclusion is that many ideas/concepts that play an important role in current discussions about econometric methodology in general and EBCR in particular, were put forward in the 1930s and 1940s. A third conclusion is that it is difficult, if not impossible, to compare the outcomes of RBC models to outcomes of the other three methods, because RBC modellers are not interested in modelling business cycles on an observation-per-observation basis. A more general conclusion in this respect is that methods should adopt the same concept of business cycles to make them comparable.




The Natural Rate of Unemployment


Book Description

For 25 years, theory about the causes of, and possible solutions to, the problem of unemployment has been dominated by Phelps' and Friedman's natural rate of unemployment hypothesis. This postulates that the equilibrium rate of unemployment consistent with steady inflation is determined by structural variables: sustainable reductions in unemployment can be achieved only by measures to change underlying microeconomic structures, such as benefit and pay bargaining systems. Belief in the hypothesis has faltered since the 1980s, the hypothesis being unable to explain the dramatic upward shifts in European unemployment rates. These essays reflect upon the fundamental structures underlying the hypothesis, assess the related evidence, and look forwards, suggesting possible modifications. In contrast to the single rate postulated by the natural rate hypothesis, several of the contributors propose that there are ranges of unemployment rates consistent with steady inflation.




Forecasting Economic Time Series


Book Description

This book provides a formal analysis of the models, procedures, and measures of economic forecasting with a view to improving forecasting practice. David Hendry and Michael Clements base the analyses on assumptions pertinent to the economies to be forecast, viz. a non-constant, evolving economic system, and econometric models whose form and structure are unknown a priori. The authors find that conclusions which can be established formally for constant-parameter stationary processes and correctly-specified models often do not hold when unrealistic assumptions are relaxed. Despite the difficulty of proceeding formally when models are mis-specified in unknown ways for non-stationary processes that are subject to structural breaks, Hendry and Clements show that significant insights can be gleaned. For example, a formal taxonomy of forecasting errors can be developed, the role of causal information clarified, intercept corrections re-established as a method for achieving robustness against forms of structural change, and measures of forecast accuracy re-interpreted.




OECD Economic Outlook, Interim Report March 2009


Book Description

This interim OECD Economic Outlook analyses the current crisis and examines the economic policies required to foster a sustained recovery in member countries. The present issue covers the outlook to end-2010 for both OECD and major non‐OECD economies.