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Discussion Paper
The Optimal Extraction of Exhaustible Resources
Policymakers concerned about rapid swings in commodity prices seek economic guidance about causal factors and future trends, but standard models?based on Harold Hotelling?s classic 1931 theory?are unable to explain actual data on price variability for a wide range of commodities. In this paper, we review this ?Hotelling puzzle? and suggest modifications to current theory that may improve explanations of commodity price changes and provide better policy advice.
Working Paper
Taxonomy of Global Risk, Uncertainty, and Volatility Measures
A large number of measures for monitoring risk and uncertainty surrounding macroeconomic and financial outcomes have been proposed in the literature, and these measures are frequently used by market participants, policy makers, and researchers in their analyses. However, risk and uncertainty measures differ across multiple dimensions, including the method of calculation, the underlying outcome (that is, the asset price or macroeconomic variable), and the horizon at which they are calculated. Therefore, in this paper, we review the literature on global risk, uncertainty, and volatility ...
Working Paper
Industrialization and the demand for mineral commodities
This paper uses a new data set extending back to 1840 to investigate how industrialization affects the derived demand for mineral commodities. I establish that there is substantial heterogeneity in the long-run effect of manufacturing output on demand across five commodities after controlling for sectoral change, substitution and technological development. My results imply substantial differences across commodities with regard to future demand from industrializing countries and with regard to the effect of demand shocks on prices. Models should include non-Gormand preferences to account for ...