This book provides an analysis of the endogenous mechanisms that govern the dynamic processes in capitalist economies. A nonlinear IS-LM version of a macromodel is developed in which real and financial feed-back mechanisms lead to income distribution-employment dynamics along with fluctuations in aggregate demand and the capacity utilisation rate. Emphasis is placed on the relevance of demand constraints in firms' pricing strategies, within the context of imperfectly competitive markets, and its implications for the dynamics of income distribution in the cyclical process. The financial mechanisms appear in terms of the effects of the endogenous liquidity creation process on the dynamics of firms' indebtedness. The stress is on the two-fold nature of «finance» it supports the accumulation process and enhances growth, and yet it can lead to financial fragility and act as a source of systemic instability.

Over the past two decades, the issue of equilibrium indeterminacy has been one of the major research concerns in macroeconomic dynamics. Growth and Business Cycles with Equilibrium Indeterminacy discusses the main topics in this literature. Based on comprehensive surveys and the author’s original research, this book explores sunspot-driven fluctuations in real business cycle models, multiple equilibria in endogenous growth models, and the stabilization effects of fiscal and monetary policy rules. The book also considers equilibrium indeterminacy in open economy models.

Traditionally, economic growth and business cycles have been treated independently. However, the dependence of GDP levels on its history of shocks, what economists refer to as “hysteresis,” argues for unifying the analysis of growth and cycles. In this paper, we review the recent empirical and theoretical literature that motivate this paradigm shift. The renewed interest in hysteresis has been sparked by the persistence of the Global Financial Crisis and fears of a slow recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. The findings of the recent literature have far-reaching conceptual and policy implications. In recessions, monetary and fiscal policies need to be more active to avoid the permanent scars of a downturn. And in good times, running a high-pressure economy could have permanent positive effects.

Macroeconomic policy is one of the most important policy domains, and the tools of macroeconomics are among the most valuable for policy makers. Yet there has been, up to now, a wide gulf between the level at which macroeconomics is taught at the undergraduate level and the level at which it is practiced. At the same time, doctoral-level textbooks are usually not targeted at a policy audience, making advanced macroeconomics less accessible to current and aspiring practitioners. This book, born out of the Masters course the authors taught for many years at the Harvard Kennedy School, fills this gap. It introduces the tools of dynamic optimization in the context of economic growth, and then applies them to a wide range of policy questions – ranging from pensions, consumption, investment and finance, to the most recent developments in fiscal and monetary policy. It does so with the requisite rigor, but also with a light touch, and an unyielding focus on their application to policy-making, as befits the authors’ own practical experience. Advanced Macroeconomics: An Easy Guide is bound to become a great resource for graduate and advanced undergraduate students, and practitioners alike.

The limits imposed on economic modeling by the representative agent hypothesis have prevented dynamic analysis from fully exploring the links between the micro and macro level of the economic system. This book presents developments and applications of the innovative techniques of dynamic stochastic aggregation, first proposed by Masanao Aoki, through an implementation in a New Keynesian financial fragility framework. The introduction in macroeconomics of statistical mechanics tools, such as mean-field interaction, statistical entropy and master equation, constitutes a step toward a new definition of microfoundation and allows an integrated modeling of the relationships between micro financial variables and aggregate indicators.

This edited volume, with contributions by area experts, offers discussions on a range of evolving topics in economics and social development. At center are important issues central to sustainable development, economic growth, technological change, the economics of climate change, commodity markets, long wave theory, non-linear dynamic models, and boom-bust cycles. This is an excellent reference for academic and professional economists interested in emerging areas of empirical macroeconomics and finance. For policy makers and curious readers alike, it is also an outstanding introduction to the economic thinking of those who seek a holistic and all-compassing approach in economic theory and policy. Looking into new data and methodology, this book offers fresh approaches in a post-crisis environment. Set in a profound understanding of the diverse currents within the many traditions of economic thought, this book pushes the established frontiers of economic thinking. It is dedicated to a leading scholar in the areas covered in this book, Willi Semmler.