"Allan H. Meltzer (1928-2017), a leading monetary economist of the twentieth century, is memorialized in eleven essays by prominent economists. Among his achievements, Meltzer transformed the field of central banking and dissected the economic disasters of the 1930s and the first decade of the 2000s as well as the recovery from high inflation in the early 1980s. The first chapters focus on his landmark A History of the Federal Reserve, 1913-1986, explaining that the Fed's biggest successes are tied to its adherence to classical monetary theory and also examining the monetarist counterrevolution. Next, the book turns to the monetary transmission mechanism and his close work with Karl Brunner on the Brunner-Meltzer Model; it argues that Meltzer's understanding of monetary economics could be used to measure the impact of the Fed's activities. Finally, Meltzer's contributions to public policy are examined, including his proposed reforms to the International Monetary Fund and his activities at the Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial Administration. The conference papers that compose this volume celebrate Meltzer's fifty-year career at Carnegie Mellon. The book ends with a transcribed interview, conducted a few months before his death, in which he shares sharp-witted insights about economics and his legacy"--

Allan H. Meltzer (1928–2017), a leading monetary economist of the twentieth century, is memorialized in eleven essays by prominent economists. Among his achievements, Meltzer transformed the field of central banking and dissected the economic disasters of the 1930s and late 2000s, as well as the avoidance of disaster in the 1970s. Focusing on his landmark A History of the Federal Reserve, 1913–1986, the first section argues that the Fed's biggest successes are tied to its adherence to classical monetary theory and also examines the monetarist counterrevolution. Next, the book turns to Meltzer's thinking on the monetary transmission mechanism and his close work with Karl Brunner on the Brunner-Meltzer Model; it argues that Meltzer's understanding of monetary economics could be used to measure the impact of the Fed's activities. Finally, Meltzer's contributions to public policy are examined, including his proposed reforms to the International Monetary Fund and his activities at the Carnegie Mellon Graduate School of Industrial Administration. The conference papers that compose this volume celebrate Meltzer's fifty-year career at Carnegie Mellon. The book ends with a transcribed interview, conducted just a few months before his death, in which he shares sharp-witted insights about economics and his legacy. Contributors: Michael Bordo, James Bullard, Joshua R. Hendrickson, Robert Hetzel, Peter N. Ireland, Robert Lucas, Edward Nelson, Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr., Charles Plosser, George Selgin, and John Taylor.

Why Capitalism? addresses the current debate among politicians, scholars in the political sciences, and general readers on the benefits and the supposed shortcomings of capitalism.

Controlling inflation is among the most important objectives of economic policy. By maintaining price stability, policy makers are able to reduce uncertainty, improve price-monitoring mechanisms, and facilitate more efficient planning and allocation of resources, thereby raising productivity. This volume focuses on understanding the causes of the Great Inflation of the 1970s and ’80s, which saw rising inflation in many nations, and which propelled interest rates across the developing world into the double digits. In the decades since, the immediate cause of the period’s rise in inflation has been the subject of considerable debate. Among the areas of contention are the role of monetary policy in driving inflation and the implications this had both for policy design and for evaluating the performance of those who set the policy. Here, contributors map monetary policy from the 1960s to the present, shedding light on the ways in which the lessons of the Great Inflation were absorbed and applied to today’s global and increasingly complex economic environment.

In this rigorous study of John Maynard Keynes's views on economic theory and policy from 1920-1946, Professor Meltzer argues that some of Keynes's main ideas have been ignored or misstated. While attention has focused on short-term countercyclical policies, the main policy implications have been neglected. Keynes placed great emphasis on rules, predictability, and reduction of uncertainty. In keeping with his theoretical work, he opposed discretionary fiscal changes and favored rules to reduce instability and increase the capital stock. These policies are consistent with, and provide evidence for, the interpretation of Keynes's theory developed here.

Current perspectives on the Phillips curve, a core macroeconomic concept that treats the relationship between inflation and unemployment. In 1958, economist A. W. Phillips published an article describing what he observed to be the inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment; subsequently, the “Phillips curve” became a central concept in macroeconomic analysis and policymaking. But today's Phillips curve is not the same as the original one from fifty years ago; the economy, our understanding of price setting behavior, the determinants of inflation, and the role of monetary policy have evolved significantly since then. In this book, some of the top economists working today reexamine the theoretical and empirical validity of the Phillips curve in its more recent specifications. The contributors consider such questions as what economists have learned about price and wage setting and inflation expectations that would improve the way we use and formulate the Phillips curve, what the Phillips curve approach can teach us about inflation dynamics, and how these lessons can be applied to improving the conduct of monetary policy. Contributors Lawrence Ball, Ben Bernanke, Oliver Blanchard, V. V. Chari, William T. Dickens, Stanley Fischer, Jeff Fuhrer, Jordi Gali, Michael T. Kiley, Robert G. King, Donald L. Kohn, Yolanda K. Kodrzycki, Jane Sneddon Little, Bartisz Mackowiak, N. Gregory Mankiw, Virgiliu Midrigan, Giovanni P. Olivei, Athanasios Orphanides, Adrian R. Pagan, Christopher A. Pissarides, Lucrezia Reichlin, Paul A. Samuelson, Christopher A. Sims, Frank R. Smets, Robert M. Solow, Jürgen Stark, James H. Stock, Lars E. O. Svensson, John B. Taylor, Mark W. Watson

Milton Friedman is widely regarded as one of the most influential economists of the twentieth century. Although he made many important contributions to both economic theory and policy - most clearly demonstrated by his development of and support for monetarism - he was also active in various spheres of public policy, where he more often than not pursued his championing of the free market and liberty. This volume assesses the importance of the full range of Friedman's ideas, from his work on methodology in economics, his highly innovative consumption theory, and his extensive research on monetary economics, to his views on contentious social and political issues such as education, conscription, and drugs. It also presents personal recollections of Friedman by some of those who knew him, both as students and colleagues, and offers new evidence on Friedman's interactions with other noted economists, including George Stigler and Lionel Robbins. The volume provides readers with an up to date account of Friedman's work and continuing influence and will help to inform and stimulate further research across a variety of areas, including macroeconomics, the history of economic thought, as well as the development and different uses of public policy. With contributions from a stellar cast, this book will be invaluable to academics and students alike.