Inequality,Debt Servicing and the Sustainability of Steady State Growth

We investigate the claim that the way in which debtor households service their debts matters for macroeconomic performance. A Kaleckian growth model is modified to incorporate working households who borrow to finance consumption that is determined, in part, by the desire to emulate the consumption patterns of more affluent households. The impact of this behavior on the sustainability of the growth process is then studied by means of a numerical analysis that captures various dimensions of income inequality. When compared with previous contributions to the literature, our results show that the way in which debtor households service their debt has both quantitative and qualitative effects on the economy's macrodynamics.     

Stagflation,new products,and speculation

The paper looks at the macroeconomic implications of some recent developments in the theory of industrial organization. In a Kaleckian model, firms are assumed to invest heavily early in the product life cycle, thus creating effective demand. Conversely, it is assumed that late in the product life cycle firms hoard, waiting for new products in which to invest. Under reasonable conditions, the rates of growth, unemployment, and inflation can be related to the fraction of new products in the economy.     

Financialisation and Rising Shareholder Power in Kaleckian/Post-Kaleckian Models of Distribution and Growth

We establish the link between rising shareholder power on the firm level, increasing pressure on labour, and redistribution at the expense of wages, with the macroeconomic effects on capacity utilisation, profits and capital accumulation. Three channels of transmission of ‘financialisation’ and increasing shareholder power, the ‘preference channel’, the ‘finance channel’ and the ‘distribution channel’, are introduced into two different variants of the Kaleckian distribution and growth model, the Kaleckian model and the Post-Kaleckian model. Within these models, three potential regimes of accumulation are derived, the ‘contractive’ regime, the ‘profits without investment’ regime, and the ‘finance-led growth’ regime. Only the ‘profits without investment’ regime generates a strict micro-macro identity, whereas the other two regimes are characterised by fallacies of composition, a ‘paradox of accumulation’ in the ‘finance-led growth’ regime and a ‘paradox of profits’ in the ‘contractive’ regime.     

Hayek, Keynes, and modern macroeconomics

The Great Recession seems to be creating a change in the trend of macroeconomic thinking. Prior to the financial crisis of 2008, dynamic stochastic general equilibrium (DSGE) models dominated the macroeconomics literature without any apparent challengers on the horizon. Since then, however, we have seen an increasing interest in macroeconomic models that address the state of confidence (??animal spirits??), complexity, cognition, and radical uncertainty. Most of the renewed interest in animal spirits, complexity, cognition, and radical uncertainty has come from a more or less ??Keynesian?? perspective. We discuss the potential to emphasize these elements from a more ??Hayekian?? perspective and argue that Austrian approaches to macroeconomics along these lines are more likely to resonate with mainstream economists than in years past.     

Production,unemployment and wage flexibility in an ICT-assisted economy: A model

This paper presents a simple macroeconomic model in which a fall in money wages has contractionary effects on output and employment. As it is well known this argument in itself is not novel: the contractionary effect of a rise in the mark-up is a standard result in Kaleckian models of imperfect competition. The new contribution of this paper lies in the fact that the contractionary effect of a money wage decline is consistent with perfect competition and rationality of economic agents. This result depends on an original specification of the production side and the associated implications for pricing. This specification, which embraces many features of modern production (characterized by a massive use of ICT), represents the first attempt to use Georgescu Roegen's contribution to production analysis within a Keynesian macroeconomic framework.     

Evolutionary macroeconomics: a research agenda

In this article, the goal is to offer a new research agenda for evolutionary macroeconomics. The article commences with a broad review of the main ideas in the history of thought concerning the determinants of economic growth and an introduction to the evolutionary perspective. This is followed by a selective review of recent evolutionary approaches to macroeconomics. These approaches are found to be somewhat disconnected. It is argued that the ‘micro-meso-macro’ approach to economic evolution is capable of resolving this problem by offering an analytical framework in which macroeconomics can be built upon ‘meso-foundations’, not micro-foundations, as asserted in the mainstream. It is also stressed that the economic system and its components are complex adaptive systems and that this complexity must not be assumed away through the imposition of simplistic assumptions made for analytical convenience. It is explained that complex economic systems are, at base, energetic in character but differ from biological complex systems in the way that they collect, store and apply knowledge. It is argued that a focus upon stocks and flows of energy and knowledge in complex economic systems can yield an appropriate analytical framework for macroeconomics. It is explained how such a framework can be connected with key insights of both Schumpeter and Keynes that have been eliminated in modern macroeconomics. A macroeconomic framework that cannot be operationalized empirically is of limited usefulness so, in the last part of the article, an appropriate methodology for evolutionary macroeconomics is discussed.     

Currency devaluations,aggregate demand,and debt dynamics in economies with foreign currency liabilities

The article uses a post Kaleckian model to analyze how currency devaluations affect aggregate demand and capital accumulation in an economy with foreign currency liabilities in the short-run. In benchmark post Kaleckian open economy models, currency devaluations have two effects. First, they change international price competitiveness and thus affect net exports. Second, devaluations change income distribution and thereby affect consumption and investment demand. The overall effect on aggregate demand and investment is ambiguous and depends on parameter values. Existing models, however, disregard balance sheet effects that arise from foreign currency-denominated external debt. The article develops a novel post Kaleckian open economy model that introduces foreign currency-denominated external debt and balance sheet effects to examine the demand-effects of devaluations. Furthermore, the article models the dynamics of external and domestic corporate debt. It discusses how an economy may end up in a vicious cycle of foreign-currency indebtedness and derives the conditions under which indebtedness becomes stable or unstable. It shows that the existence of foreign currency-denominated debt means that contractionary devaluations are more likely, and that foreign interest rate hikes, and high illiquidity and risk premia compromise debt sustainability. Devaluations only stabilize debt ratios if they succeed in boosting domestic capital accumulation.     

宏观经济学微观基础问题的不同视角与本质

自20世纪60年代以来,宏观经济学的各个分支学科都越来越重视寻找宏观经济理论的微观基础.主流经济学认为,宏观经济理论必须建立在与新古典模型的根本特征相一致的微观经济基础之上;非主流经济学对传统意义上宏观经济学的微观经济基础之争持有很大的怀疑;后凯恩斯主义者认为,真正需要的是微观经济学的宏观经济基础;演化经济理论主张微观基础解释的是社会变迁.文章在对当今微观基础问题争论进行梳理的基础上对宏观经济学体系的内在形成机理和变化趋势进行了探索.     

Book Reviews

This paper reformulates Kalecki's investment models based on 'the principle of increasing risk'. First, it is shown that in his model risk can be interpreted as a conditional probability of bankruptcy of a firm, or the 'hazard rate' in reliability theory. Secondly, a simple static Kaleckian investment model is developed based on this interpretation. In the model, a slightly modified Kaleckian optimality condition for investment holds. It is also shown that, as Kalecki correctly pointed out, the principle of falling marginal efficiency of capital (or investment) is not required to obtain a finite level of investment. Finally, I consider sequential investment in an intertemporal model. In this model, a modified version of the Kaleckian optimality condition determines investment. In addition, as Kalecki emphasized, his increasing risk limits the level of investment even without increasing and convex adjustment costs associated with investment, by which the finite rate of investment is derived in the macroeconomics literature.     

‘Unproductive’ sectors and economic growth: a theoretical analysis

This paper examines the role of service, nonmarket and unproductive activity sectors in causing stagnation. The literature on this subject is critically discussed and it is argued that although these three sectors are not the same, the discussion of their roles raises similar theoretical issues regarding the nature of sectoral distinctions and macroeconomic structure. Three simple models are developed to illustrate how these ‘unproductive’ sectors may or may not cause stagnation. It is concluded that more attention should be given to sectoral distinctions and macroeconomic structures before these sectors are dismissed as being ‘unproductive’.     

Using Patents In Growth Models

This paper argues that macroeconomic models of endogenous growth driven by technological change could be much improved by drawing lessons from the microeconomic literature of intellectual property design. Growth models use overly simplistic and sometimes incorrect assumptions regarding the intellectual property regime. Microeconomic theory and empirical work are reviewed to demonstrate that determining optimal intellectual property design is complex and has important implications for firm behavior and performance. Considering the question of intellectual property design in a dynamic general equilibrium model should yield important insights about how intellectual property impacts growth and welfare.     

The BMW Model: A New Framework for Teaching Monetary Economics

Abstract: Although the IS/LM-AS/AD model is still the central tool of macroeconomic teaching in most macroeconomic textbooks, it has been criticized by several economists. Colander (1995) demonstrated that the framework is logically inconsistent, Romer (2000) showed that it is unable to deal with a monetary policy that uses the interest rate as its operating target, and Walsh criticized that it is not well suited for an analysis of inflation targeting. The authors present a framework that develops the Romer approach into a very simple but, at the same time, comprehensive macroeconomic model. In spite of its simplicity, it can carry the main insights of the New Keynesian macroeconomics to an intermediate level and deal with issues like inflation targeting, monetary policy rules, and central bank credibility.     

中国宏观经济分析面临新挑战

正如中国经济发展正处于十字路口 ,中国的宏观经济调控面临转型的重要关口一样 ,中国的宏观经济理论也正面临严峻的挑战。本文通过宏观态势分析中两个不同思路即规范性宏观分析思路和宏观问题感受性分析思路的比较 ,发现规范性宏观分析虽然权威和简明 ,但是在诊断中国宏观问题时缺乏准确性 ;宏观问题感受性分析虽然准确全面 ,但是缺乏学术性提炼。中国宏观经济理论为了承担起向宏观调控政策提供思想基础这一基本任务 ,必须寻找宏观经济中真正具有典型化的事实 ,分析这些事实之间的内在联系及其对宏观经济走向的影响 ,进而重新梳理中国宏观经济关系 ,重建中国的宏观经济分析理论体系。     

The Macroeconomic Effects of Taxation in a Federal Europe

The signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 has created a dilemma for fiscal policy at both a theoretical and a policy level. The conflict between the increasingly important stabilising role for fiscal policy post-Maastricht and the pursuit of fiscal harmonisation requires a re-examination of the theoretical framework within which policy discussion should take place. Orthodox tax incidence theory cannot adequately analyse the macroeconomic effects of taxation and the paper proposes an alternative post-Keynesian approach based on the tax and business cycle theories of Kalecki. To illustrate the applicability of a Kaleckian approach to taxation in a Federal system, the paper presents a discussion of the macroeconomic effects of State and local taxation in the US. It is also shown to be necessary to study the structure of State government receipts, the expenditure functions of State governments, the State government budget stance and the nature of intergovernmental relations in order to identify macroeconomic effects.     

Confronting the Trilemma: Culture,Institutions, and Macroeconomic Disequilibria

Abstract

Although the fundamental trilemma of open-economy macroeconomics has been a popular framework for analyzing the effects of various policy combinations, it ignores how policy regimes change. Drawing from Post-Keynesian Institutionalist theory, this article considers this process in democracies as a type of technological change in which progress may be limited by insufficient knowledge and actions by vested interests. A case study of interwar France shows that these barriers often delay or weaken stabilization programs, which increase both political and economic uncertainty that further lowers aggregate demand and inhibits the attainment of macroeconomic equilibria. Although we should not generalize these observations, they suggest that understanding and addressing cultural and institutional factors may be necessary for successful countercyclical policymaking.     

FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MACROECONOMIC VOLATILITY

Using cross‐country panel data over the period 1996–2012, this paper examines the impact of financial development on macroeconomic volatility using GMM estimators. In contrast to the linear relationship identified in many previous studies, we present robust evidence suggesting that the effect of financial development on macroeconomic volatility is nonlinear and U‐shaped. We also investigate the potential differences between developed and developing countries. The results of the paper add new evidence and shed interesting insights into the recent debate on the role of finance in macroeconomic fluctuations.     

宏观经济理论中的金融因素:若干认识误区

本文以主流宏观经济学的若干认识误区为切入点,对宏观经济理论中的金融因素及相关问题进行了初步的理论反思。这一反思主要围绕以下六个基本命题展开:一是金融因素在宏观经济中的影响被严重低估,二是主流货币政策框架的致命缺陷源于其政策视野的短期性,三是货币与信用的创造机制存在着本质差别,四是财政机制与信用机制并非独立,五是金融创新指向信用创造并改变了经济金融环境,六是泡沫问题金融化的本质在于杠杆扩大化。这些命题的共同启示是:宏观经济理论必须在纳入内生性金融因素的基础上予以系统重建。     

An appraisal of the new classical macroeconomics

This paper appraises the “new classical macroeconomics” within the framework of Lakatos's methodology of scientific research programs. In terms of its ability to predict new facts, the new classical macroeconomics program is theoretically progressive; in terms of its ability to verify some of these predictions, the program is also empirically progressive. From these considerations I conclude that the new classical macroeconomics represents a progressive scientific research program.     

微观经济主体决策模型变化与宏观经济学的发展--一个分析宏观经济学发展的新视角

宏观经济学研究的是个体理性行为与集体理性行为的冲突及其解决的问题.作为一门学科,迄今为止,还没有一个内在统一、完整的框架可以对门类众多的宏观经济学派进行梳理和整合.那么,在风采纷呈的宏观经济学流派发展长河中,究竟有没有内在的线索可寻?在一定意义上,正是因为对于这一个问题缺乏深入而全面的回答,目前对于中国经济学发展路径难以形成共识.在本文,我们抛砖引玉的提出一个模型:经济主体决策模型的变化影响宏观经济学的发展走向.接着利用该模型粗线条地对宏观经济学的发展历史进行梳理,然后在此基础上提出中国经济学发展的一点拙见.