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Full-Text Articles in Economics
Sellers’ Inflation, Profits And Conflict: Why Can Large Firms Hike Prices In An Emergency?, Isabella M. Weber, Evan Wasner
Sellers’ Inflation, Profits And Conflict: Why Can Large Firms Hike Prices In An Emergency?, Isabella M. Weber, Evan Wasner
Economics Department Working Paper Series
The dominant view of inflation holds that it is macroeconomic in origin and must always be tackled with macroeconomic tightening. In contrast, we argue that the US COVID-19 inflation is predominantly a sellers’ inflation that derives from microeconomic origins, namely the ability of firms with market power to hike prices. Such firms are price makers, but they only engage in price hikes if they expect their competitors to do the same. This requires an implicit agreement which can be coordinated by sector-wide cost shocks and supply bottlenecks. We review the long-standing literature on price-setting in concentrated markets and survey earnings …
The Nature Of Money And The Theory Of International Trade: Thornton And Ricardo, Isabella M. Weber
The Nature Of Money And The Theory Of International Trade: Thornton And Ricardo, Isabella M. Weber
Economics Department Working Paper Series
A rich recent literature reinvestigates the nature of money, but little attention has been paid to the ramifications of the ways in which we theorize money for the theory of international trade. This paper examines the logical relationship between the neutrality of money and self-balancing trade based on Henry Thornton and David Ricardo as two foundational contributions to credit and commodity money theories respectively. I show that both authors theorize trade as self-balancing whenever money is conceptualized as neutral. I distinguish two notions of the neutrality of money: ex ante and ex post neutrality. In Thornton’s Paper Credit money is …
The Neoclassical Theory Of Aggregate Investment And Its Criticisms, Daniele Girardi
The Neoclassical Theory Of Aggregate Investment And Its Criticisms, Daniele Girardi
Economics Department Working Paper Series
This paper surveys the neoclassical theory of aggregate investment and its criticisms. We identify four main strands in neoclassical investment theory: (i) the traditional Wicksellian model; (ii) the Fisherian ‘array-of-opportunities’ approach; (iii) the Jorgensonian model; (iv) the now prevailing adjustment cost models. We summarize each approach, discuss the main conceptual issues, and highlight similarities and differences between them. We also provide a systematic summary and discussion of the main criticisms that have been leveled at each of these models and highlight some unresolved theoretical issues.
Vertical Trade, Exchange Rate Pass-Through, And Exchange Rate Regime, Yao Tang, Ke Pang
Vertical Trade, Exchange Rate Pass-Through, And Exchange Rate Regime, Yao Tang, Ke Pang
Economics Department Working Paper Series
We compare the welfare of different combinations of monetary and currency policies in an open-economy macroeconomic model that incorporates two important features of many small economies: a high level of vertical international trade and a prevalent use of a large trade partner's currency as the invoicing currency for both imports and exports. In this environment, a small economy prefers a fixed exchange rate regime over a flexible regime, while the larger economy prefers a flexible exchange rate regime. There are two main causes underlying our results. First, in the presence of sticky prices, relative prices adjust through changes in the …
Can Macroeconomic Policy Stimulate Private Investment In South Africa? New Insights From Aggregate And Manufacturing Sector-Level Evidence, Léonce Ndikumana
Can Macroeconomic Policy Stimulate Private Investment In South Africa? New Insights From Aggregate And Manufacturing Sector-Level Evidence, Léonce Ndikumana
Economics Department Working Paper Series
This study explores the determinants of investment using both aggregated industry-level data and disaggretated data on 27 sub-sectors of the manufacturing sector for the period 1970-2001. According to the results in this study, the government has potentially powerful means at its disposal to stimulate private investment. In particular, a domestic demand stimulus and public investment expansion will produce large gains in private investment. While the direct effects of lowering the interest rate appear to be quantitatively small, indirect effects operating notably through domestic demand and cheaper credit are likely to be large. The evidence in this study also indicates that …