Search Results
Journal Article
The search-theoretic approach to monetary economics: a primer
The authors present simple versions of models used in the search-theoretic approach to monetary economics. They discuss results on the existence of monetary equilibria, the potential for multiple equilibria, and welfare. Using bilateral bargaining theory, they consider models where prices are fixed as well as those where prices are determined endogenously. After describing the frictions necessary to construct a model where money has an essential role, they conclude by reviewing many extensions and applications in the related literature
Journal Article
Accounting for capital consumption and technological progress
Methods currently used to calculate capital consumption, the stock of capital, and the sources of economic growth do not adequately measure the underlying growth in inputs due to technological advance. This lack affects tax policy as well as the design of programs targeting potential areas of economic growth. The authors present a model designed to surmount the problems affecting current methods of calculation.
Journal Article
Per capita income growth and disparity in the United States, 1929–2003
Economic theory says the average income of different regions should grow closer over time. Within the United States and across some of the richer countries, evidence suggests this is true.
Journal Article
Infrastructure and the wealth of nations
Economies can?t grow without a sufficiently developed infrastructure, but how deep does the infrastructure have to be to make a difference? The authors take a look at some research from the Fraser Institute that examines the relationship between economic growth and economic infrastructure across 123 countries. They find that infrastructure is a bit of an all-or-nothing proposition.
Journal Article
Defining capital in growth models
This article analyzes the measurement of the capital stock when technological advance is embodied in capital. The source of the problem is that capital is not homogeneous across vintages. Which measure of the capital stock to use is dictated by the question being addressed.
Journal Article
Is noninflationary growth an oxymoron?
A review of the theoretical and empirical case for disinflationary economic growth, showing that, contrary to popular wisdom, it is quite possible to have a booming economy without an acceleration in the price level.
Working Paper
The return to capital and the business cycle
Real business cycle models have difficulty replicating the volatility of S&P 500 returns. This fact should not be surprising since real business cycle theory suggests that the return to capital should be measured by the return to aggregate market capital, not stock market returns. We construct a quarterly time series of the after-tax return to business capital. Its volatility is considerably smaller than that of S&P 500 returns. Our benchmark model captures almost 40 percent of the volatility in the return to capital (relative to the volatility of output). We consider several departures from ...
Working Paper
How amenities affect job and wage choices over the life cycle
The current wage at a job may not fully reflect the "value" of that job. For example, a job with a low starting wage may be preferred to one with a high starting wage if the growth rate of wages is higher in the former than in the latter. In fact, differences in wage growth can potentially explain why a worker might want to quit a high-paying job for one with a lower starting wage. Job amenities are another important factor that not only influences the value of a job but also provides an independent rationale for why workers change jobs. Including a job's amenities as part of its "value" ...
Journal Article
Growth and the internet: surfing to prosperity?
Do countries that inhibit the quick integration of new technologies pay a price in slower economic growth? This commentary suggests they do. Focusing on the level of Internet use to indicate the absorption rate of emerging computer technologies, the authors argue that faster technology absorption leads to increased economic growth.
Working Paper
Generalized search-theoretic models of monetary exchange
This paper extends the literature on search-theoretic models of money in several ways. It provides results for general bargaining parameters, whereas previous papers consider only special cases. It also presents one version of the model in which agents holding money cannot produce and another in which they can. The former has been used in essentially all the previous literature, although the latter seems more natural for some purposes and avoids several undesirable implications. Since very little is known about this version, the authors analyze it in detail.