PERRY G. MEHRLING May 23, 2017 Academic Training: Phd Economics
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BIS Working Papers No 136 the Price Level, Relative Prices and Economic Stability: Aspects of the Interwar Debate by David Laidler* Monetary and Economic Department
BIS Working Papers No 136 The price level, relative prices and economic stability: aspects of the interwar debate by David Laidler* Monetary and Economic Department September 2003 * University of Western Ontario Abstract Recent financial instability has called into question the sufficiency of low inflation as a goal for monetary policy. This paper discusses interwar literature bearing on this question. It begins with theories of the cycle based on the quantity theory, and their policy prescription of price stability supported by lender of last resort activities in the event of crises, arguing that their neglect of fluctuations in investment was a weakness. Other approaches are then taken up, particularly Austrian theory, which stressed the banking system’s capacity to generate relative price distortions and forced saving. This theory was discredited by its association with nihilistic policy prescriptions during the Great Depression. Nevertheless, its core insights were worthwhile, and also played an important part in Robertson’s more eclectic account of the cycle. The latter, however, yielded activist policy prescriptions of a sort that were discredited in the postwar period. Whether these now need re-examination, or whether a low-inflation regime, in which the authorities stand ready to resort to vigorous monetary expansion in the aftermath of asset market problems, is adequate to maintain economic stability is still an open question. BIS Working Papers are written by members of the Monetary and Economic Department of the Bank for International Settlements, and from time to time by other economists, and are published by the Bank. The views expressed in them are those of their authors and not necessarily the views of the BIS. -
WINTER 2015 Journal of Austrian Economics
The VOL. 18 | NO . 4 QUARTERLY WINTER 2015 JOURNAL of AUSTRIAN ECONOMICS ARTICLES The Efficient Market Conjecture . 387 Ricardo E. Campos Dias de Sousa and David Howden The Austrian Business Cycle Theory: A Defense of Its General Validity . 409 Mihai Macovei Division of Labor and Society: The Social Rationalism of Mises and Destutt de Tracy . 436 Carmen Elena Dorobăţ From Marshallian Partial Equilibrium to Austrian General Equilibrium: The Evolution of Rothbard’s Production Theory . 456 Patrick Newman Man, Economy and State, Original Chapter 5: Producer’s Activity . 487 Murray N. Rothbard Book Review: Doing Bad by Doing Good: Why Humanitarian Action Fails By Chris Coyne . 562 Jason E. Jewell Book Review: Exploring Capitalist Fiction: Business through Literature and Film By Edward W. Younkins . 568 Shawn Ritenour Book Review: Contending Perspective in Economics: A Guide to Contemporary Schools of Thought By John T. Harvey . 572 Mark Thornton Book Review: Finance Behind the Veil of Money: An Essay on the Economics of Capital, Interest, and the Financial Market By Eduard Braun . 578 David Howden FOUNDING EDITOR (formerly The Review of Austrian Economics), Murray N. Rothbard (1926–1995) EDITOR, Joseph T. Salerno, Pace University BOOK REVIEW EDITOR, Mark Thornton, Ludwig von Mises Institute ASSISTANT EDITOR, Timothy D. Terrell, Wofford College EDITORIAL BOARD D.T. Armentano, Emeritus, University of Hartford Randall G. Holcombe, Florida State University James Barth, Auburn University Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Emeritus, UNLV Robert Batemarco, Pace University Jesús Huerta de Soto, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos Walter Block, Loyola University Jörg Guido Hülsmann, University of Angers Donald Bellante, University of South Florida Peter G. -
The Development of Macroeconomics and the Revolution in Finance
1 The Development of Macroeconomics and the Revolution in Finance Perry Mehrling August 26, 2005 Every graduate student learns a story about where modern macroeconomics came from, if only as context for the reading list he is supposed to master as part of his PhD coursework. Usually the story is about disciplinary progress, the slow building of the modern edifice one paper at a time by dedicated scientists not much older than the student himself. It is a story about the internal development of the field, a story intended to help the student make sense of the current disciplinary landscape and to prepare him for a life of writing and receiving referee reports. Exemplary stories of this type include Blanchard (2000) and Woodford (1999). So, for example, a typical story of the development of macroeconomics revolves around a series of academic papers: in the 1960s Muth, Phelps, and Friedman planted the seed from which Robert Lucas and others developed new classical macroeconomics in the 1970s, from which Ed Prescott and others developed real business cycle theory in the 1980s, from which Michael Woodford and others in the 1990s produced the modern new neoclassical synthesis.1 As a pedagogical device, this kind of story has its use, but as history of ideas it leaves a lot to be desired. In fact, as I shall argue, neoKeynesian macroeconomics circa 1965 was destabilized not by the various internal theoretical problems that standard pedagogy emphasizes, but rather by fundamental changes in the institutional structure of the world 1 Muth (1961), Phelps (1968), Friedman (1968); Lucas (1975, 1976, 1977); Kydland and Prescott (1982), Long and Plosser (1983); Woodford (2003). -
Fundamentals of Money and Banking.Pptx
Fundamentals of Money and Banking Alfredo Schclarek Curutchet National University of Córdoba, Argentina National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), Argentina www.cbaeconomia.com The 24th NSE International Development Forum INSE, PKU August 9, 2018 1 Plan for presentation 1. Motivation 2. Visions of money 3. Money view 1. Hierarchy of monetary system 2. Fluctuation of monetary system 3. Liquidity and (in)stability of monetary system 4. Credit, money and investment 2 Motivation Recent international financial crisis (2007/2009) shows: Understand financial and banking system for macroeconomic analysis Mainstream theories (Neoclassical and NewKeynesian) not useful for: understanding, predicting and giving policy advise Not sufficient to incorporate credit frictions and banking sector in standard DSGE models Main problem: underlying theory of money 3 Visions of money Metalist: Jevons, Menger, von Mises, Kiyotaki, Wright, neo- classical and neo-keynesian Cartalist: Knapp, Mireaux, Goodhart, and post-Keynesian Money view: Perry Mehrling (Columbia University and Institute for New Economic Thinking) 4 Metalist Origin: Private sector (minimize transactions costs involved in barter and advantageous characteristics of the precious metals as a medium of exchange e.g., durability, divisibility, portability, etc.) Value of money: backing (gold, metals) Loss in value: reduction of gold and metals, relative to quantity money Quantity of money: exogenous, given by availability of gold and dollars Role of banks: only intermediaries -
An Early Harvard Memorandum on Anti-Depression Policies.1
An Early Harvard Memorandum on anti-Depression Policies.1 Introductory Note by David Laidler (University of Western Ontario) and Roger Sandilands (University of Strathclyde) 1The typescript whose text is reproduced below is from Box 12, Folder 29, Harry Dexter White Papers, Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library, Princeton University Library. Published with permission of Princeton University Library. Its title, authorship and date are written at the top of its first page, in handwriting identified by Bruce Craig and Sandilands as that of White. 1 The Memorandum’s Authors and Their Message The Memorandum which this note introduces was completed by three young members of the Harvard economics department sometime in January 1932 Two of them, Lauchlin Currie and Harry Dexter White were soon to play key roles on the American, indeed the world-wide, policy scene. Both of them would go to Washington in 1934 as founding members of Jacob Viner’s “Freshman Brains Trust”. In due course, first at the Federal Reserve Board, and later at the Treasury and the White House, Currie would become a highly visible and leading advocate of expansionary fiscal policy, while White, at the Treasury, was to be a co-architect, with Keynes, of the Bretton Woods system. Both would fall victim to anti-communist witch-hunts in the late 1940s, in White’s case perhaps at the cost of his life, since he died of a heart attack in 1948 three days after a strenuous hearing before the House Committee on Unamerican Activities (HUAC). The third author, P. T. Ellsworth, later a Professor -
November 19, 2008 Letter
November 19, 2008 The Honorable Henry Reid The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Senate Majority Leader Speaker of the House Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Mitch McConnell The Honorable John Boehner Senate Minority Leader House Minority Leader Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20515 Dear Sen. Reid, Sen. McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, and Rep. Boehner: We, the undersigned economists, urge Congress to pass a new stimulus package as quickly as possible. The need to deal with financial turmoil has directed attention away from the "real" economy. But the latest data clearly show that the economy is entering a serious recession, initiated by the collapse of homebuilding and intensified by the paralysis of credit markets. Without a fast an effective response by government, the economy could continue to spiral downward, leading to a large increase in unemployment and a sharp decline in GDP. The potential severity of the downturn suggests that a boost to demand on the order of 2.0-3.0 percent of GDP ($300-$400 billion) would be appropriate, with the goal being to get this money spent quickly. The list of targets includes: a) aid to state and local governments that are being forced to make emergency cutbacks as revenues fall; b) extending unemployment insurance and increasing other benefits targeted toward low and moderate income households who are likely to spend quickly; c) moving forward infrastructure projects that have already been planned and scheduled; and d) providing tax credits and other support for "green" projects that can be done quickly, such as retrofitting homes and businesses for increased energy efficiency. -
1 the MAKING of INDEX NUMBERS in the EARLY 1920S
THE MAKING OF INDEX NUMBERS IN THE EARLY 1920s: A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FISHER–MITCHELL DEBATE Felipe Almeida Victor Cruz e Silva Universidade Federal do Paraná Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa Área 1 - História do Pensamento Econômico e Metodologia RESUMO O surgimento sistemático da abordagem axiomática dos números de índice ocorreu no início dos anos 1920, um período marcado pelo pluralismo na academia econômic estadunidense. Promovida por Irving Fisher, a abordagem axiomática dos números de índice teve como objetivo selecionar uma fórmula ideal universalmente válida para números de índice, empregando uma série de testes estatísticos. No entanto, desde a primeira apresentação da abordagem de Fisher, no Encontro Anual da Associação Estadunidense de Estatística em 1920, até a publicação de seu livro “The Making of Index Numbers” em 1922, Fisher enfrentou uma série de críticas, não endereçadas à sua fórmula ideal propriamente dita, mas à própria idéia de uma fórmula universal para números de índice. Os principais indivíduos envolvidos nesse debate foram Wesley Mitchell, Warren Persons, Correa Walsh (que foi o único que apoiou a proposta de Fisher) e Allyn Young. Entre eles, o principal representante dos antagonistas de Fisher era Mitchell. Este estudo argumenta que as divergências entre Fisher e Mitchell resultam de seus distintos entendimentos da economia como uma "ciência". Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo é ilustrar como Fisher, como economista matemático, privilegiou a universalidade das teorias econômicas, enquanto Mitchell, como institucionalista, entendeu a economia como uma disciplina contextual e histórica e como essas preconcepções estão presentes no debate sobre números de índice. Para ilustrar suas posições, este estudo explora evidências baseadas em arquivo. -
Washington University School of Medicine Bulletin, 1913
Washington University School of Medicine Digital Commons@Becker Washington University School of Medicine Washington University Publications Bulletins 1913 Washington University School of Medicine bulletin, 1913 Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/med_bulletins Recommended Citation Washington University School of Medicine bulletin, 1913. Central Administration, Publications. Bernard Becker Medical Library Archives. Washington University School of Medicine, Saint Louis, Missouri. http://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/med_bulletins/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Washington University Publications at Digital Commons@Becker. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington University School of Medicine Bulletins by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Becker. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 3N UNIVERSITYi LIBRARY MEnirfll gr»^., BULLETIN OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY ST. LOUIS CATALOGUE OF THE MEDICAL SCHOOL MAY, 1913 PUBLICATIONS OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SERIES II VOLUME XI NUMBER VII PUBLICATIONS OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Series I. THE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY RECORD. This series is issued monthly from November to May, and is intended for the entire University constituency: faculties, alumni, students, and friends of the institution generally. It contains a resume of the principal activities of the University for the period covered, and announcements of important future events. Each number contains, besides, one or more articles of an untechnical character on literary or scientific subjects. One issue (Annual Review) embodies a full review of the academic year, with the Chancellor's Report, abstracts of University legislation, a list of the writings of members of the Faculty, a complete record of papers read by them before learned societies, a list of public addresses, and other matters of University interest. -
Mit and Money
Groupe de REcherche en Droit, Economie, Gestion UMR CNRS 7321 MIT AND MONEY Documents de travail GREDEG GREDEG Working Papers Series Perry Mehrling GREDEG WP No. 2013-44 http://www.gredeg.cnrs.fr/working-papers.html Les opinions exprimées dans la série des Documents de travail GREDEG sont celles des auteurs et ne reflèlent pas nécessairement celles de l’institution. Les documents n’ont pas été soumis à un rapport formel et sont donc inclus dans cette série pour obtenir des commentaires et encourager la discussion. Les droits sur les documents appartiennent aux auteurs. The views expressed in the GREDEG Working Paper Series are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the institution. The Working Papers have not undergone formal review and approval. Such papers are included in this series to elicit feedback and to encourage debate. Copyright belongs to the author(s). MIT and Money Perry Mehrling October 22, 2013 I would like to thank all the participants in the HOPE conference for helpful suggestions and stimulating discussion, and in addition Bob Solow, Roger Backhouse, Goncalo Fonseca, Duncan Foley and Roy Weintraub for thoughtful and searching comment on early drafts. 1 Abstract: The Treasury-Fed Accord of 1951 and the subsequent rebuilding of private capital markets, first domestically and then globally, provided the shifting institutional background against which thinking about money and monetary policy evolved within the MIT economics department. Throughout that evolution, a constant, and a constraint, was the conception of monetary economics that Paul Samuelson had himself developed as early as 1937, a conception that informed the decision to bring in Modigliani in 1962, as well as Foley and Sidrauski in 1965. -
The Vision of Hyman P. Minsky
Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization Vol. 39 (1999) 129–158 The vision of Hyman P. Minsky Perry Mehrling ∗ Barnard College, 3009 Broadway, New York NY 10027, USA Received 3 March 1998; received in revised form 20 July 1998; accepted 22 July 1998 Abstract ©1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. JEL classification: B3; E5 Keywords: Financial fragility; Financial instability; Speculation; Lender of last resort; Refinance On the mezzanine of Littauer, Schumpeter instructed about the primacy of vision: in particular that we — the young who engaged him in conversation — should develop our vision, we should have a view that in a sense is prescientific of what the game is about, about the way the beast functions, about the way the various parts of economics and social science are related and, yes, about our own maps of Utopia. Once we have a vision, then our control of theory, our command of institutional detail, and our knowledge of history are to be marshaled to support the vision...Schumpeter’s methodology of vision and theory, with theory a servant of vision, may seem cynical, but, in truth, it is honest. It is a way of systematizing thought so that dialogue could take place. The division between vision and technique leads to a recognition that we are marshaling evidence when we do theory, when we analyze data, and when we read history. Schumpeter’s methodology undercuts much of the pretentious nonsense about economics as a science and elevates the importance of discourse, of dialogue, and of just plain good talk for a serious study of society. -
Report September 2000 10/6/03 11:31 AM
Report September 2000 10/6/03 11:31 AM Report September 2000 Volume 10, Number 3 Conference on Saving, Intergenerational transfers, and the distribution of wealth As part of its research program into the causes of and solutions to income inequality, the Levy Institute held a conference from June 7 to 9 on the distribution of wealth. The conference was organized by Senior Scholar Edward N. Wolff. Brief notes on the participants' remarks are given here. CONTENTS Conference Saving, Intergenerational Transfers, and the Distribution of Wealth Workshop on Earnings Inequality Editorial Monetarism is Finally Dead, RIP New Working Papers Trends in Direct Measures of Job Skill Requirements Kaleckian Models of Growth in a Stock-Flow Monetary Framework: A Neo- Kaldorian Model "It" Happened, But Not Again: A Minskian Analysis of Japan's Lost Decade Family Structure, Race, and Wealth Ownership: A Longitudinal Exploration of Wealth Accumulation Processes Can European Banks Survive a Unified Currency in a Nationally Segmented Capital Market? Household Savings in Germany An Examination of the Changes in the Distribution of Wealth from 1989 to 1998: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances Discontinuities in the Distribution of Great Wealth: Sectoral Forces Old and New file://localhost/Volumes/wwwroot/docs/report/rptsep00.html Page 1 of 25 Report September 2000 10/6/03 11:31 AM Profits: The Views of Jerome Levy and Michal Kalecki New Policy Notes Welfare College Students: Measuring the Impact of Welfare Reform Health Care Finance in Need of Rethinking Can the Expansion Be Sustained? A Minskian View Drowning in Debt Levy Institute News Lecture Steve Keen: Toward a General Model of Debt Deflation New Staff Event Publications and Presentations Publications and Presentations by Levy Institute Scholars The Jerome Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, founded in 1986, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, independently funded research organization devoted to public service. -
Market Liquidity and Hence Ultimately on Dealer of Last Liquidity by Quoting Two-Way Markets, but Resort
Three Principles for Market-Based Credit Regulation By PERRY MEHRLING* * Mehrling: Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York NY 10027 (e-mail: [email protected]). I. Back to Basics Thanks to Aaron Brown, Tom Michl, Daniel Neilson, and Zoltan Pozsar for helpful comments. The Bagehot Rule for handling financial Over the last three decades, a new market- crisis—“lend freely but at a high rate”—was based credit system has grown up to become Bagehot’s attempt to distill the principles of larger than the traditional bank-based credit central bank practice as that practice had system, only to mark that achievement in 2007 developed organically over the previous fifty with a financial crisis of its very own. Some years (Bagehot 1873). Today the Bagehot say the crisis was a “Minsky moment” when Rule is where everyone starts when thinking the inherent instability of credit—market- about the role of the central bank, even if most based credit as well as bank-based credit— subsequent discussion is about how to avoid was revealed for all to see. While not crisis in the first place. necessarily disagreeing with that formulation, My concern about this near-universal I prefer to emphasize that it was a “Bagehot framing of the problem is that the world moment” when the Fed was forced to put Bagehot was thinking about is, in crucial aside its inflation fine-tuning and go back to respects, not the world we are dealing with basics. In retrospect, it was the actions of the today. Bagehot was all about the 19th century Fed, more than anything else, that put a floor bill market; our new market-based credit on the crisis.