Invoicing currency and the optimal basket peg for East Asia: Analysis using a new open economy macroeconomic model

An important characteristic of trade in Asia is that the US dollar is the dominant invoicing currency. This fact might have a consequence on the region's choice of the currency regime. To investigate this possibility, I develop a three country “new open economy macroeconomics” model that consists of East Asia, Japan, and the US. Assuming that East Asia pegs its currency to a basket of the other two's currencies, the optimal basket weights are derived numerically. It is shown that the weights under a realistic invoicing pattern are drastically different from those in the textbook case of “producer currency pricing.” J. Japanese Int. Economies 20 (4) (2006) 569–589.     

Fiscal policy and direct crowding-out in a small open economy

This paper analyses the welfare effects of fiscal policy in a small open economy, where private and government consumption are substitutes in terms of private utility. The main findings are as follows: fiscal policy raises output, bringing it closer to its efficient level, but is not welfare-improving even though government spending directly affects private utility. The main reason for this is that the introduction of useful government spending implies a larger crowding-out effect on private consumption, when compared with the ‘pure waste’ case. Utility decreases since one unit of government consumption yields less utility than one unit of private consumption. In any case, the marginal rate of substitution between private and government consumption is a key parameter in governing the welfare effects of fiscal policy.

A new approach to capital control for emerging market economies

The present paper proposes a new approach to capital control for emerging market economies, which restricts capital inflows to a fraction of the gap between foreign currency denominated loans and deposits in the economy. We show that the foreign-currency-gap capital control proposed here outperforms tax-based capital control in attenuating the negative effects of external shocks on business cycle fluctuations. This attenuation effect works via the interest rate channel and the capital control constraint itself. Compared to tax-based capital control, the foreign-currency-gap capital control is welfare enhancing, effectively mitigating financial instability with little cost in terms of macroeconomic stability. Countries with a high level of foreign currency denominated loans and deposits need to implement a stricter foreign-currency-gap capital control.     

我国大学生就业问题的经济学思考

文章从宏观经济的三个方面的存在问题论述了造成当前大学生就业难的宏观经济学原因:①社会经济发展结构存在的缺陷,特别是第三产业的发展相对迟缓;②社会经济资源配置的缺陷,包括社会经济资源错配和教育资源错配两个方面;③国家经济调控和鼓励政策还需要进一步的加强和完善。     

关于宏观经济学微观基础的若干问题

传统宏观经济理论缺乏微观基础,而新古典(New Classical)革命和新凯恩斯(New Keynesian)革命都试图把宏观经济分析建立在稳固的微观基础上,认为宏观经济学应是经济主体在约束条件限制下,根据对宏观经济形势的预期进行最优化行为这一基础上去确定宏观经济总量,但是宏观经济学的微观基础研究的局限性也随之突显出来。因此,从物理经济学的角度,分别讨论宏观经济学的微观基础,旨在探讨研究中所涉及的"代表性个体"、"预期机制"、"计量验证"等分析模式中可能存在的问题。     

Does better information about foreign shocks improve monetary policy?

This paper examines whether better information about foreign shocks leads to welfare-improving monetary policy using a stylised two-country New Keynesian general equilibrium model. We demonstrate that when terms of trade externality exist and national central banks have the incentives to shift terms of trade in their own favour, the equilibrium under imperfect information may be welfare superior relative to an equilibrium with perfect information. In addition, the welfare gains or losses from information sharing between central banks are found to be small for empirically plausible range of parameters for risk aversion and elasticity of labour supply.     

玉米补贴政策调整对宏观经济的影响*——基于CGE模型的分析

[目的]寻求玉米补贴政策改变对宏观经济和粮食安全的影响,并厘清影响的幅度,寻求玉米政策调整的合理方向。[方法]对现有的中国可计算一般均衡模型进行了改进,引入库存积累、临时存储库存入市、库存销售和顺价机制,加入玉米实物量模块。通过设定政策模拟情景,运用2012年中国投入产出表、农业农村部、中国统计年鉴等资料将数据库进行了更新,对农业部门的玉米补贴减少政策的影响进行了模拟。[结果]降低玉米种植补贴后,玉米种植面积和产量都将改变。短期内,补贴减少将减少财政压力。中长期来看,减少补贴政策将对GDP产生负面影响,且远大于财政补贴减少的幅度。而玉米占经济量的份额很小,玉米相关行业的变化,对宏观经济的影响较弱。[结论]实现去库存、调结构、降低种植面积,进行市场化决策,就要坚持玉米价格市场化改革,注重政策的时效性和针对性,加强信息监测预警。提高政府对玉米市场的宏观调控能力,实施多策并举的政策,有助于实现宏观经济改善,保持农业生产持续健康良好运行。     

中国的通货膨胀:一个新开放宏观模型及其检验

本文基于新开放宏观经济学(NOEM)框架分析了中国的通货膨胀问题,探讨了导致通货膨胀的原因以及各原因之间的相互关系,并利用贝叶斯向量自回归模型(BVAR)进行了计量检验。发现新开放宏观模型对中国的通货膨胀有较好的解释力,货币供应量无论是在长期还是短期都是诱发通货膨胀的主要原因,而外部冲击向中国的传导路径是受阻碍的。     

Framing Modern Monetary Theory

This article argues that Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has struggled to gain traction in wider economic and political debates due to: (1) An incomplete understanding of key macroeconomic terms among economic commentators, especially journalists, and the wider community (lack of education); and (2) The deployment of key macroeconomic terms (incorrectly) in the context of pervasive cultural metaphors to support policy interventions that effectively benefit a privileged few at the expense of the majority. We provide a conceptual basis for understanding how the language we use constrains our thinking and we examine some of the key metaphors used to reinforce the flawed message of orthodox economics. We examine key ideas of modern monetary theory—an apolitical model of macroeconomic operations—and propose effective ways of expressing those key ideas in a progressive social and economic framework.     

Can market power sustain endogenous growth in overlapping-generations economies?

Summary. Sustained endogenous growth is known to be impossible in OLG one-sector models without non-convexities and externalities, unless income is redistributed to the young generation. No redistribution proper is however necessary, as shown in two simple examples, if positive profits accruing to young monopolistic entrepreneurs can be sustained in equilibrium, and/or if young unionised workers can guarantee a non-vanishing share of aggregate income. In this context, market power appears, in two different forms, as a significant source of sustained endogenous growth. Received: October 3, 2000; revised version: March 9, 2001