Macroeconomics from a higher standpoint

Dr A Vasudevan and Prof P Ray are scholars and teachers of monetary theory as well as practitioners of the art of monetary policy. The short message of the slim volume under review is that the weights attached to the two domains are variable. Thus, politics matters with the finitude of power in office. In practice, discretion scores over rules. The Phillips curve is askew and the problem of adding financial stability to the tradeoff or tradein might not be an unsolvable problem. The authors make a case for the revival of planning complete with sectoral distinctions and with government choice of green techniques and long-term finance. They ruminate on the unravelling of the “impossible trinity” and resurrect Keynes’ plan for an International Clearing Union. In sum, a “philosophy of development” trumps the Theil-Tinbergen theorem on instruments and targets.