The federal reserve: Lender of last resort Gillian Garcia and Elizabeth Plautz Ballinger: Cambridge,MA, 1988, 310 pp.

Conclusion Garcia and Plautz have provided a real service to the profession by illuminating the important issues concerning the Federal Reserve System as lender of last resort. At one point in the book [p. 97] the authors refer to the preference by most economists to discuss the LLR concept via “...a practical, intuitive, rather than a theoretical, approach” that is in contrast to use of a “...formal theory of liquidity assistance...based on a mathematical framework, which is often the preferred approach among academic economists.” They imply here that the former is to be preferred to the latter, given the complexity of the LLR concept and the related public policy issues. After reading the book, this reviewer reaches the opposite conclusion. There are so many interrelated issues associated with the conduct of LLR policy that what is needed are more concrete analyses of the problem by academic and non-academic economists. Formal theories, such as those provided by Kanatas [1986] and by Waller [1990], are sorely needed as policymakers continue to search for the appropriate LLR Policy structure. Garcia and Plautz have taken the practical, intuitive approach just about as far as it can go. Hopefully, their work will stimulate new attempts to provide theoretical guidance toward a welfare-maximizing LLR policy. This review has benefited from very helpful comments by an anonymous referee.     

The Link Between CEO Compensation and Firm Performance: Does Simultaneity Matter?

In order to combat the principle-agent problem, directors of public companies use incentive-based contracts to align the interests of CEOs and shareholders. Some studies suggest that these contracts are an inefficient use of resources, and that they do not motivate CEOs to do what is best for the firm. In this study, the author estimates a regression to find the relationship between CEO Compensation and market value of a firm. In order to address persistence, endogeneity and firm-specific effects the author uses the first-differenced and system GMM regression techniques first used by [Arellano, M.; Bover, O. “Another Look at the Instrumental-Variable Estimation of Error-Component Models,” Journal of Econometrics, 68, 1995, pp. 29–51] and [Blundell, R. W.; Bonds, S. R. “Initial Conditions and Moment Restrictions in Dynamic Panel Data Models,” Journal of Econometrics, 87, 1998, pp. 115–43; Blundell, R. W.; Bond, S. R., Windmeijer, F. “Estimation in Dynamic Panel Data Models: Improving on the Performance of the Standard GMM Estimators,” Institute for Fiscal Studies Working Paper W00/12, London, England, 2000]. These regressions report a positive relationship between CEO compensation and market value of a firm. This study concludes that incentive based contracts are effective, due to the positive pay-to-performance link, when controlling for simultaneity. First place winner of the Undergraduate Best Paper Award Competition at the 60th International Atlantic Economic Conference in New York, NY, October 6–9, 2005.     

An alternative to Marshall: Economic history and applied economics at the early LSE

Conclusion The LSE in its early years did not produce a “school of economics” in the sense that Marshall's Cambridge constituted a “school.” English historical economics was too diffuse, too lacking in strong leadership, too untheoretical, and too committed to economic history as a discipline to create such a “school.” The special contribution of the LSE in the pre-war period was certainly not in theory, since one of the chief reasons for it being an alternative to Marshall's school of orthodoxy was that it paid relatively little attention to economic theory during this period. Rather, its alternative economics was its central conception that the economist'sraison d'etre was to solve pressing contemporary problems for which orthodox theory seemed to offer little guidance. Thus its teachers and curriculum, assembled by Hewins and the Webbs, emphasized applied subjects and economic history.     

Organization and economic behavior: An interpretation of recent findings

Conclusion Institutionalist theorists have long suggested that market power creates managerial discretion to diverge from competitive norms — for good or for bad [Spechler, 1978]. Where differences appear among them on how to conceptualize the objective, Baumol [1967] and Eichner [1976] have argued for growth maximization (subject to a minimum profit constraint), while Galbraith [1973] and the Carnegie “school” [see Cyert, March, 1963] have preferred an indeterminate combination of security, growth, prestige, and so forth.     

Exchange-Rate Policies in Emerging Countries: Eleven Empirical Regularities From Latin America and East Asia

In this paper I discuss some of the most important lessons on exchange-rate policies in emerging markets during the last 35 years. The analysis is undertaken from the perspective of both the Latin American and East Asian nations. Some of the topics addressed include: the relationship between exchange-rate regimes and growth, the costs of currency crises, the merits of “dollarization,” the relationship between exchange rates and macroeconomic stability, monetary independence under alternative exchange-rate arrangements, and the effects of the recent global “currency wars” on exchange rates in commodity exporters.     

Purchasing Power Parity during Currency Crises: A Panel Unit Root Test under Structural Breaks

We investigate the stationarity of real exchange rates using a panel of Asian and South and Latin American countries by applying a new panel unit root test that is robust to structural breaks due to currency crises. It turns out that the long-run PPP relationship is relevant for the Asian countries, which experienced a flexible exchange rate, whereas for the South and Latin American countries, for which the exchange rate has been pegged to the U.S. dollar for a long time, the PPP relationship breaks down. In Asian countries PPP appears to hold before the 1997 crisis, which is not the case for the South and Latin American countries. This suggests that the Asian flu corresponds to a second-generation type of crises, whereas the 1995 Mexican tequila fits the first-generation models better. JEL no. C13, C33, E41     

A new look at the impact of U.S. import barriers on corporate profit expectations

A New Look at the Impact of U.S. Import Barriers on Corporate Profit Expectations. — The notion that industries benefit from protection is firmly grounded in trade theory. However, previous “event studies” measuring the impact of trade restrictions on stock prices reveal that shareholders expect no improvement in industry profits from protection. The implication is that barriers designed to promote industry adjustment are considered ineffective by equity holders. This investigation of U.S. “Escape Clause” cases shows that shareholders do expect protection to enhance profits, but not universally. Outcomes are linked to the type of trade measure selected, with industries protected by tariffs or global quotas faring better than those shielded by nonglobal “Orderly Marketing Agreements.”     

Disaggregate Real Exchange Rate Behaviour

In this paper, we re-examine the “PPP Puzzle” using sectoral disaggregated data. Specifically, we first analyse the mean reversion speeds of real exchange rates for a number of different sectors in 11 industrial economies and then focus on relating these rates to variables identified in the literature as key determinants of CPI-based real exchange rates, namely: the trade balance, productivity and the mark up. In particular, we seek to understand to what extent the relationships existing at the aggregate level are borne out at the disaggregate level. We believe that this analysis can help shed light on the PPP puzzle.

Purchasing Power Parity in High-Inflation Countries: A Cointegration Analysis of Integrated Variables with Trend Breaks

This paper examines the long-run validity of purchasing power parity (PPP) for four high-inflation countries. The method of Zivot and Andrews (1992) is employed to detect the time-series behavior of the exchange rates and consumer price indices of these countries. We find that these variables are integrated with some trend breaks. We then utilize these data to test PPP using Johansen's (1988) multivariate cointegration technique. The cointegration tests are conducted with the correction of the finite sample bias and the adjustment for trend breaks. The results are consistent with the argument that, during the recent floating exchange-rate period, PPP holds well, at least in a weak form, in high-inflation countries where the general price level movement overshadows the factors causing deviations from PPP.     

Big philanthropy and the funding of black organizations

Conclusion The general overview of foundation giving to promote black interests and the specific look at the Ford-MARC relationship support the notion that few foundation grants will go to “controversial” or “political” projects. The Peterson Commission estimated that only three percent of all private foundation grants are “innovative” and an even smaller percentage are “politically controversial.” Most often, these projects usually become controversial after the grant is made. A 1971 Urban League study revealed that grants for human services made by private foundations to black and Spanish-speaking communities were disproportionately low when measured in terms of the per capita needs of the minority population. Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to expect Ford, Rockefeller Brothers, Mott, or Carnegie to redistribute income or become the “cutting edge of social change”.     

Dutch disease revisited. Oil discoveries and movements of the real exchange rate when manufacturing is resource-intensive

We study how natural resource booms affect the real exchange rate in a situation where there are input–output linkages between the manufacturing sector and the natural resource sector. An increase in revenues from natural resources could de-industrialize an economy by raising the real exchange rate, rendering the manufacturing sector less competitive. This tendency towards de-industrialization has been called “Dutch disease”. We build a theoretical model showing that a country experiencing discoveries of natural resources, such as oil, is not necessarily bound to experience the Dutch disease. The appreciation of the real exchange rate can be escaped if patterns of specialization shift towards the manufacturing industries that use oil more intensively. In the second part of the paper, we test the model and find support for the claim that Dutch disease effect associated with discoveries of natural resources (namely oil) are dampened in countries that specialize in resource-intensive manufacturing industries.     

Testing PPP for the South African Rand/US Dollar Real Exchange Rate at Different Data Frequencies

This paper tests the PPP hypothesis for the South African rand/US dollar real exchange rate using a fractional integration framework. The results suggest that the real exchange rate of the South African rand with respect to the US dollar is a highly dependent variable with an order of integration very close to 1. This finding is not affected by the data frequency considered (daily, weekly or monthly). Also, there appears to be a single break in December 2001 (possibly corresponding to a change in the monetary policy framework), with the unit root null being rejected in favour of d > 1 for the periods before the break, but not afterwards. Thus, our results strongly reject the PPP hypothesis for the South African rand/US dollar rate across data frequencies, since shocks are found to affect the exchange rate forever.     

Alternatieve kosten en vervangingswaarde

Ohne Zusammenfassung „The fundamental explanatory principle of any system of economics is always a theory of value”. J. A. Schumpeter:Ten Great Economists, Londen 1952, blz. 152. „... since the field of economics is vast, its subjects many, and its personnel large and varied, its displacement [the theory of value, U.] may well result in intellectual anarchy, a clash of conflicting opinion, a babel of tungues, a medley of dogma and counterdogma”. W. H. Hamilton: „The Place of Value Theory in Economics” inThe Journal of Political Economy, maart 1918, blz. 406. De schrijver dankt professor dr. G. Th. J. Delfgaauw voor de kritische opmerkingen bij een vroegere versie van dit artikel.     

Inflation and Structural Change in 50 Developing Countries

This study provides evidence on whether the inflation rate is stationary or nonstationary using quarterly inflation rate data from 50 developing countries. As Johansen [Johansen, Soren. “Testing Weak Exogeneity and Order of Cointegration in UK Money Demand Data,” Journal of Policy Modeling, 14, 3, June 1992, pp. 313–334] put it, “some time series such as the log of prices (P), have the property that even the inflation rate ΔP is nonstationary, whereas the second difference Δ²P is stationarity.” Results from fractional integration analyses provide evidence of long memory and confirm that the nonstationarity threshold of d³0.5 is satisfied in the majority of the cases. Results from recursive analyses indicate that, despite the finding that structural changes influence the behavior of the estimated integration parameters, evidence of long memory and nonstationarity can be found in each subsample as well as the full sample data.     

基于STAR模型的中日汇率态势检验

改革开放是我国发展壮大的必经之路.其过程离不开与其他国家或地区的经济交往,因此必然受到国外经济的影响.随着我国经济开放程度的不断扩大,汇率的变动对我国经济变动的影响也越来越大.在我国对外贸易中,日本是一个不容忽视的贸易对象国,本文采用基于STAR模型的KSS非线性单位根检验分析法和传统的ADF与PP检验对中日实际汇率进行了实证检验,检验结果表明,我国汇率符合购买力平价理论,这说明现有的参考一篮子货币的有管理的浮动汇率制度正逐步达到市场有效性和预期效果,应继续发挥市场供求在人民币汇率形成中的基础性作用,增强浮动弹性.     

Resource allocation: A hayekian paradigm for maritime conglomerates

Conclusion This article provides a new synthesis between the strategic management literature and Austrian capital theory. The resource allocation process plays out in the context of differing subunit preferences, potentially resulting in tension and periodic conflict that may lead to dysfunctional relationships over time. Absent clearly understood and effective operational rules, the potential for heightened dysfunctional internal relationships will lead a conglomerate organization to have a diminished resource base for achieving its future strategic goals. This article presents a set of resource-allocation rules based on the Hayekian theory of production. By developing an effective resource-allocation paradigm based on economic theory, the organization can gain market share resulting in increased profitability and continued success in the marketplace. The Hayekian triangle offers firms an objective measure reflecting environmental shifts by tracking interest-rate changes that affect consumer and production demand. Organizations can gain “first-mover advantages” essential to provide the competitive advantage vis-à-vis their rivals while maintaining harmonious relationships among subunits. Entrepreneurial innovation can also be exercised by “second movers” who imitate the “first movers,” perhaps taking advantage of lessons learned. This kind of innovative imitation may well provide the greatest scope for entrepreneurial activity. The authors remain responsible for any errors or omissions.     

Cognitive skills, test scores, and social stratification: The role of family and school-level resources on racial/ethnic differences in scores on standardized tests (AFQT)

Conclusion  In this paper I ahve shown that scores on the AFQT are a function of family and school level material resources and investments on individual development. The AFQT is not a measure of “intelligence (IQ),” “ability,” or “cognitive skills.” The AFQT is in large part a measure of access to material resources, social investments, and exposure to the values, experiences, and networks of the white upper middle class.     

Performing New Orleans: Toward a Political Poetics

This essay documents an embodied model for doing scholarship in and about post-Katrina New Orleans. It suggests lived experience as human capital that provides a public good for rebuilding communities. Specifically, a research-based performance (“Performance and New Orleans: Citizenship, Identity and Housing”) serves as a case study for situating scholarship between theory and practice as a “political poetics.” The essay draws on performance theory and the values of public scholarship to negotiate the challenges of authenticity and motive that confront scholars working in New Orleans. The essay also argues for performance as a means of reaffirming human value and exposing the complexity that surrounds the problems of African American citizenship, identity, and housing in New Orleans 5 years after the storm.     

The Leontief paradox in a multi-country setting: Comments

Conclusions Apart from the commodity mix effect, exports, imports consumption and production respond identically to changes in relative capital endowment, regardless of whether one refers to physical capital, human capital or total capital. Hence, when allowing technology and product mix to vary, one cannot distinguish between export goods and import goods in terms of capital intensity. These conclusions are still in agreement with Hirsch [1977, p. 418] who argues “Poor countries export low capital-intensive and import high capital-intensive goods, while rich countries import low capital-intensive and export high capital-intensive goods.” The only response that is significantly different is due to the commodity mix effect.