Immiserizing growth for a tariff-distorted,small economy: Further analysis

The paper derives an exact criterion for deciding if capital accumulation in a small, open economy where the only distortion is a tariff on imports will result in a loss of welfare–a possibility shown by Johnson. The relationship with a previous criterion derived by Bertrand and Flatters is discussed.     

Rationality and institutions: reflections on Douglass North

Douglass North questions the assumptions of ergodicity and economic rationality which came to dominate economics; this paper places the emergence of these notions in historical context. North stresses the role of institutions in dealing with a shift from uncertainties in the physical environment to uncertainties in the complex human environment of impersonal exchange. The paper explores the difficulties and weaknesses of his account of this change, focussing in particular on the case of Britain, and the themes of property rights, state structures and warfare.     

TRAFFIC LIGHTS: WEAPONS OF MASS DISTRACTION,DANGER AND DELAY

Since my 2006 article in Economic Affairs proposing traffic system reform, there has been a growing interest in the subject. Trials in deregulation have produced the results that students of the subject predicted – congestion‐free roads and sociable interaction between road‐users.     

Is corporate governance risk valued? Evidence from directors' and officers' insurance

We find that common equity firms pay lower D&O insurance premiums than income trusts, an alternative and riskier ownership form. This result has wide-ranging implications for investors insofar as the information provided by D&O insurers provides investors with an unbiased signal of the firm's governance risk. The signal is unbiased because it comes from an entity (i.e. the insurer) that has a direct financial incentive to correctly assess an organization's governance risk, in contrast to other ad hoc governance measures and indices.     

Ist die Rente mit 67 ein Rentenkürzungsprogramm? Auf die Sichtweise kommt es an!

Die schrittweise Anhebung der Regelaltersgrenze auf 67 Jahre wird von vielen kritisiert. Argumentiert wird, dass die Rentner zukünftig niedrigere Renten erhalten, entweder weil sie (h?here) Abschl?ge in Kauf nehmen müssen oder weil sie ihre Rente nun weniger lange bekommen. So oder so sei die Rente mit 67 ein Rentenkürzungsprogramm. Doch ist das wirklich so? Die Antwort lautet: Es kommt darauf an — vor allem auf die Sichtweise.     

Finance,growth and (macro)prudential policy: European evidence

Empirica - This paper examines the interactions between financial development, economic growth and (macro)prudential policy on a sample of 12 euro area countries. Our main takeaway is that active...