Through careful methodological analysis, this book argues that modern macroeconomics has completely overlooked the aggregate nature of the data. In Part I, the authors test and reject the homogeneity assumption using disaggregate data. In Part II, they demonstrate that apart from random flukes, cointegration unidirectional Granger causality and restrictions on parameters do not survive aggregation when heterogeneity is introduced. They conclude that the claim that modern macroeconomics has solid microfoundations is unwarranted. However, some important theory-based models that do not fit aggregate data well in their representative-agent version can be reconciled with aggregate data by introducing heterogeneity.

Modern Macroeconomics, by Max Gillman, takes a new and modern approach to macroeconomic theory using microeconomic foundations. Building from the standard neo-classical models, Gillman has developed a new dynamic model which works to explain business cycles and unemployment, why you can have a banking lead recession as well as fiscal and monetary policy. Although strong in mathematical rigour all calculations in this text are fully derived and graphs provide a direct representation making it accessible. This text is suitable for undergraduate students studying Advanced Macroeconomics courses.

This book provides an in-depth investigation of the role of the private and public sectors in land markets and regional economics, and explores the reasons behind government intervention in the interests of sustainable growth. The authors explore the subject of regional development and changing land use in a variety of different countries. They examine broad themes such as urban structure, infrastructure and eco-structure, and look in detail at issues including housing, transport and technology clustering. They also demonstrate that for a proper understanding of long-term changes, the broader institutional settings and policy regimes are of critical importance, as it is within this framework that private and public actors interact. It is therefore vital to search for institutional arrangements where conflicts of interest can be dealt with in a constructive way, and where ecological values are taken into consideration. The contributions in this book highlight these difficulties and offer practical proposals to improve current practices. Regional scientists, geographers and development policymakers will welcome this rigorous exploration of the roles of the private and public sectors in the context of economic development.

This book offers a thorough introduction to the highly promising complex agent-based approach to economics, in which agent-based models (ABMs) are used to represent economic systems as complex and evolving systems composed of heterogeneous agents of limited rationality who interact with each other, generating the system’s emergent properties in the process. This approach represents a response to the limitations of the dominant theory in economics, which does not consider the possibility of a major crisis, and to the inability of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium theory to generate empirically falsifiable propositions. In the new perspective, the focus is on identifying the elements of instability rather than the triggering event. As the theory of complexity demonstrates, the interactions of heterogeneous agents produce non-linearity: this puts an end to the age of certainties. With ABMs, the methodology is “from the bottom up”. The individual parameters and their distribution are estimated, and then evaluated to verify whether aggregate regularities emerge on the whole. In short, not only micro, but also meso and macro empirical validation are employed. Moreover, it shows that the mantra of growth should be supplanted by the concept of a growth​. Given its depth of coverage, the book will enable students at the undergraduate and Master’s level to gain a firm grasp of this important emerging approach. “This book is flower blossomed by one of the two greatest Italian economists.” Bruce Greenwald, Columbia University “The author’s - the ABM prophet’s - thoughts on economics have been at the forefront of the world. Without a firm belief in and dedication to human society, it is impossible to write such a book. This is a work of high academic value, which can help readers quickly understand the history and current situation of complex economic theory. In particular, we can understand the basic viewpoints, academic status, advantages and shortcomings of various schools of economic theory.” Jie Wu, Guangzhou Milestone Software Co., China

The bulk of contemporary economics assumes rather than explains differences between people or groups of people. Yet, many of these differences are produced by society or they imply differing opportunities and outcomes. This book argues that economists should concern themselves with the explanation of the social causes and effects of such differences. D’Ippoliti introduces the concept of diversity to summarise all differences that are of social origin and that a theory or model seeks to explain. This contrasts with the traditional concept of heterogeneity that instead refers to differences that are deemed to be exogenous of economic theory. In approaching this, the book ranges from the fields of methodology and history of economics to applied empirical work, as well as gender diversity which is considered in depth. The analysis of the thinking of two major economists of the past, John Stuart Mill and Gustav Schmoller, demonstrates how gender diversity exemplifies some of the fundamental issues in economics, such as the division of labour, society’s capacity to reproduce itself, and the role of social institutions and their impact on individual and collective behaviour. The book maintains that growth of GDP and of the services sector cannot be trusted to automatically bring about greater inclusion of women in the labour market. Active policy interventions are needed, spanning from the removal of discrimination to the provision of public services and the establishment of fair competition in the market, along with an improved division of social and political power between the sexes. This work will be of interest to researchers and students focusing on the history of economic thought, labour economics, social policy and gender studies.

The world financial crisis of 2007–2008 dramatically showed the importance of credit and financial relations for the efficient working of the economy. For a long time mainstream macroeconomics ignored these aspects and concentrated only on the real sector or just took into account the most elementary picture of the financial side of the economy. This book aims at explaining why this happened through an historical excursion of 20th century mainstream macroeconomic theory.