Competitive trade models and real world features

Competitive small-dimension international trade models perform well in comparing free (or restrictive) trade with autarky, especially in emphasizing that consumption patterns can differ from production patterns and that production becomes highly concentrated while consumption patterns are expanded. Variations on these small-dimensional models can usefully show how with trade production patterns may nonetheless be more diverse and a country’s labor force become more heterogeneous in its skills. The paper illustrates how the Middle Products framework can be reinterpreted to support variety in production and in labor skills.      

Modern Japan's Fourth Challenge: The Political Economy of a Stagnant Population

The paper summarizes the problems that Japan faces during a period of falling and stagnant population and discusses their remedies. The problem of a stagnant population is well recognized and has been studied from a broad perspective by the Japanese government. This paper, however, defines the problem of action under three headings: (1) buying time; (2) building a new relationship between men and women; and (3) the political economy of a stagnant population.
JEL Classification Numbers: B1, H4, J1, O15, O50.     

The economic survival of black physicians: Swimming in turbulent waters

This article presents an analysis of the effects restructuring in the health care sector is likely to have on the economic conditions of black physicians. The model presented of the physicians’ services market is one in which black physicians, because of perceived quality differences and patient preferences, are relegated to servicing the lowest income clients and those with the lowest quality insurance. It is argued that the physician surplus, the growth in the uninsured, and the increasing competition by large group practices, outpatient-care facilities, and HMOs will place additional pressure on black physicians.     

Regulatory Impact Assessment and the Economic Transition to Markets

In most developing and transition economies, far-reaching legal and regulatory reforms are essential for a successful transition to market-led economic development. One of the most important capacities of a market regulator is the ability to assess the market impacts of a regulation before it is adopted. Regulatory impact analysis (RIA) is a tool now used in most developed countries to improve understanding of the economic and social welfare impacts of a law and other forms of regulation. This article argues that institutional reforms aimed at good governance are at the core of the development process, that RIA can contribute to the quality of legal reforms and support other good governance goals, and that RIA can be implemented step-by-step by building on existing practices and investing in skills and training.