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Shipping out the best beer: Why export prices increase with distance

Holger Görg, László Halpern, Balázs Muraközy, 14 March 2010

Why are the prices of exports higher for countries that are further away – even when transport costs are excluded? This column suggests that this is partly because firms choose to ship out their best quality goods, just like a brewery with its “export” brands.

Why are married women less risk-averse investors?

Graziella Bertocchi, Marianna Brunetti, Costanza Torricelli, 13 March 2010

Does marriage make people less averse to risk? This column argues that this is the case for women, but not for men. But married women's different attitude towards risk has fallen over time as the prevalence of marriage in society has faded. For women who work, marriage makes no difference.

Greece: It's not all tragedy

Michael Burda, 13 March 2010

Greece’s recent deficit-cutting budget was met with planned strikes and protests in the streets. This column argues that the painful fiscal adjustments could turn out to be a good thing for Europe’s political integration, but the region has to take the next step and set up a European Monetary Fund.

Do higher cigarette prices deter smoking?

Deliana Kostova, Hana Ross, Evan Blecher, Sara Markowitz, 12 March 2010

Do higher cigarette prices deter smoking? This column finds that policymakers in developing countries could reduce cigarette consumption by youths by raising taxes. A 10% increase in the price will reduce youth cigarette demand by 18.3%.

Policies to encourage entrepreneurship

Josh Lerner, 12 March 2010

Josh Lerner of Harvard Business School talks to Vox about the policies that governments employ to encourage venture capital and entrepreneurial activity, drawing on the findings in his book, Boulevard of Broken Dreams: Why Public Efforts to Boost Entrepreneurship and Venture Capital Have Failed – and What to Do About It. The interview was recorded in London in January 2010.

Underappreciated benefits of the Eurozone

Francesco Paolo Mongelli, 11 March 2010

Why would countries share a single currency? This column introduces a new CEPR Policy Insight and argues that some aspects are missing in the current debate on the merits of the EMU. Benefiting from monetary union is a matter of time, perseverance, and seizing opportunities.

The long wave of government debt

Andrew Scott, 11 March 2010

The high levels of government debt have raised concern among policymakers and commentators. But this column argues that markets have financed much larger levels of debt than are currently predicted for the UK and US. Given the enormous financial shock these economies have experienced, they might actually be better off with high debt for a long period of time.

The political resource curse

Fernanda Brollo, Tommaso Nannicini, Roberto Perotti, Guido Tabellini, 10 March 2010

Is the discovery of natural resources necessarily a good thing? Examining data from Brazil, this column finds that a 10% windfall in government revenues leads to a 12 percentage point increase in corruption and a 3 percentage point reduction in the probability that politicians have a degree. The chance that an incumbent is reelected raises by over 4 percentage points.

A 4% inflation target?

Daniel Leigh, 9 March 2010

Olivier Blanchard, the IMF’s Chief Economist, recently broached the idea that central banks should target an inflation rate of 4% during the good times to leave more room for nominal rate cutting during bad times. This column supports this view, presenting new research showing that a higher inflation target could have halved the output loss of Japan during its “Lost Decade.”

A tale of two depressions: What do the new data tell us? February 2010 update

Barry Eichengreen, Kevin H. O’Rourke, 8 March 2010

This column updates the original Vox columns by Barry Eichengreen and Kevin O’Rourke comparing today’s global crisis to the Great Depression. The three previous columns have shattered all Vox readership records with over 450,000 views. This latest edition covers up to February 2010 showing that, while there is cause for optimism, there is no room for complacency.

Antidumping: Much ado about nothing?

Hylke Vandenbussche , Maurizio Zanardi, 8 March 2010

The global crisis has raised fears that governments would engage in a protectionist spiral. This column argues that, while countries have by and large kept their promises not to raise barriers to trade, antidumping has crept up. Far from being a “small price to pay”, the new tough users of antidumping laws such as Brazil, India, Mexico, Taiwan, and Turkey have 5.9% fewer annual imports as a result.

For a fair treatment of trade finance under Basel III

Marc Auboin, 7 March 2010

Trade finance is an essential facility for world trade. But this column argues that the safe, short-term, and self-liquidating character of trade finance has not been properly recognised under the Basel II framework and the proposed revised rules ("Basel III") seem to raise additional hurdles to trade finance. Both trade financiers and regulators should strive to avoid this.

Social networks and the massive migration within China

Yuyu Chen, Ginger Zhe Jin, Yang Yue, 7 March 2010

What determines mass migration within countries? Examining data from China – the biggest internal migration experience in human history – this column finds that migrants from the same village tend to cluster at the same destination for the same occupation. This pattern is driven by social networks within villages that reduce the moving costs for future migrants, such as the risk of not finding a job.

The political limits to globalisation

Daron Acemoglu, Pierre Yared, 7 March 2010

Is globalisation inevitable and irreversible? This column argues that globalisation is a policy choice. It examines the relationship between military expansion and international trade flows, finding that increased nationalist and militarist sentiments are negatively associated with trade. A 10% increase in military spending between 1985 and 2005 is associated with a reduction in the trade share of GDP of around 2%.

Consumer reactions to exchange rate and trade price shifts: New evidence from online book retailing

Jean Boivin, Robert Clark, Nicolas Vincent, 6 March 2010

How much of a change in exchange rates is required to redress global imbalances? This column presents new evidence from online bookstores suggesting that neither shoppers nor retailers react to price differences across borders. This implies that realignment of cross-country consumption levels may require large and persistent exchange rate changes.

Argentina all over again? Lessons for Europe

Augusto de la Torre, Eduardo Levy-Yeyati, Sergio Schmukler, 6 March 2010

The fiscal crisis in several European countries has led many commentators to suggest novel solutions, including a holiday from the euro. This column examines the much-cited example of Argentina and argues that such ideas look better on paper than in practice. What these countries need is a “good old bailout” – conditional on “getting the house in order”.

Why policymakers need to take note of high-frequency finance

Richard Olsen, 6 March 2010

Why should high-frequency finance be of any interest to policymakers interested in long-term economic issues? This column argues that the discipline can revolutionise economics and finance by turning accepted assumptions on their head and offering novel solutions to today’s issues.

Ageing populations and productivity

Jan van Ours, 5 March 2010

Ageing populations are a concern for many developed countries, with increasing dependence on the working population expected. Despite this, there is relatively little research on how productivity changes with age. This column argues that while older people do not run as fast, there is no evidence of a mental productivity decline and little evidence of an increasing pay-productivity gap. The negative effects of ageing on productivity should not be exaggerated.

Measuring management practices

John Van Reenen, 5 March 2010

How important are management practices in driving the performance of firms and the productivity of nations across Asia, Europe and North America? John Van Reenen, director of the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at the London School of Economics, talks to Romesh Vaitilingam about CEP’s research programme on the economics of management and productivity. The interview was recorded in London in February 2010.

Why Europe should reject a new Glass-Steagall Act

Hans-Werner Sinn, 4 March 2010

A return of the Glass-Steagall Act has been suggested by US policymakers and commentators as a way to reduce risk in financial markets. This column argues that the legacy of separate commercial and investment banks actually made the crisis worse. Europe should not follow these proposals but should instead concentrate on strengthening the capital reserves of its banks.

 

Global Crisis Debate

VoxEU.org is partnering with the UK government to collect the views of economists from around the world on what the G20 should do to fix the global economy. Read more. There are five themes:

Macroeconomics

Moderator: Philip Lane

Institutional reform

Moderator: Francesco Giavazzi

Financial rescue and regulation

Moderator: Luigi Zingales

 

Countries in crisis

Moderator: Jon Danielsson

Development and the Crisis

Moderator: Dani Rodrik

Open markets

Moderator: Richard Baldwin


CEPR Policy Research

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Policy Insights and Reports

On the benefits and costs of a monetary union

Francesco Paolo Mongelli

This new Policy Insight asks why countries would share a single currency, and addresses some aspects missing from the current debate on the benefits of the euro area.

Will Stabilisation Limit Protectionism? The 4th GTA Report

Simon J Evenett

The latest GTA report examines whether macroeconomic stabilisation has altered governments' resort to protectionism, with a focus on the Gulf Region.

Bailing out the Banks: Reconciling Stability and Competition

Thorsten Beck, Diane Coyle, Mathias Dewatripont, Xavier Freixas, Paul Seabright

This new CEPR report focuses on two specific aspects of the policy response to the crisis: financial regulation and competition policy.

Financial system reform proposals from first principles

Alberto Giovannini

Alberto Giovannini highlights some fundamental characteristics of the recent financial crisis and identifies ways to make the financial system stronger.

The saga of Icesave

Jon Danielsson

This new CEPR Policy Insight looks at the issues arising from the collapse of Landsbanki.

Ambulance economics: the pros and cons of fiscal simuli

Max Corden

This new CEPR Policy Insight suggests that the 'Keynesian ambulance' of fiscal stimuli in response to the crisis may have averted a Great Depression.

Real Time Solutions for US Financial Reform

Viral Acharya, Thomas F. Cooley, Matthew Richardson, Ingo Walter

The NYU Stern group – authors of the influential book Restoring Financial Stability: How to Repair a Failed System – have completed a new ebook that assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the US financial reform legislation. This column introduces the new ebook.

The Unrelenting Pressure of Protectionism: The 3rd GTA Report

Simon J Evenett

The latest Report from Global Trade Alert focuses on the Asia-Pacific region.

The Great Trade Collapse: Causes, Consequences and Prospects

Richard Baldwin

A new VoxEU.org Ebook aims to inform the world trade ministers what the economists know about the trade collapse.

Income contingent tuition fees for universities

Neil Shephard

The financial position of the UK Government suggests that its university sector may have its funding squeezed. In CEPR Policy Insight 42, Neil Shephard argues that universities should be able to charge income contingent tuition fees if their teaching costs are not met by the current tuition payments.

Discussion Papers

Tax and multinational firm location decisions

Salvador Barrios, Harry Huizinga, Luc Laeven, Gaëtan Nicodème

Increased globalization and decreased trade barriers worldwide have led an increasing number of corporations to expand their activities internationally. The authors of CEPR DP7047 examine the effects of host and parent country taxation on the location decisions of these multinational corporations using a range of data from 33 European countries.

What are the real returns from a higher education?

Enrico Moretti

The increase in the return to education is typically measured using nominal wages. The author of CEPR DP6997 looks at housing costs for high school and college graduates and discovers that, when looking at real as opposed to nominal wages, the return to education and the increase in inequality may be smaller than previously thought.

Boom-bust cycle for Poland in run-up to euro adoption?

Barry Eichengreen, Katharina Steiner

Assuming that Poland does adopt the euro, will it be able to avoid the boom-bust cycle that has afflicted other economies around the time of euro adoption? The authors of CEPR DP7027 look at the causes of these cycles and ask whether Poland's situation is any different to those of its predecessors. Their conclusions are mixed.

Why do we really have children?

Francesco C. Billari, Vincenzo Galasso

Why are couples in industrialized societies having fewer children than they used to? Indeed, why are they deciding to have children at all? The authors of CEPR DP7014 seek to address these issues, focusing on the two main motives for childbearing often cited: children as a 'consumption' vs. an 'investment' good.

Inheritance Law and Investment in Family Firms

Andrew Ellul, Marco Pagano, Fausto Panunzi

The authors of DP6977 investigate the effect of inheritance law on investment in family firms in 32 countries.

Competition in grocery sales

Kathleen Cleeren, Marnik G. Dekimpe, Katrijn Gielens, Frank Verboven

Discounters, such as Lidl, operate to offer 40-60% lower prices than conventional retailers, but how much of a competetitive threat to they pose to supermarket giants? In addition to analysing "inter-format" competition between traditional supermarkets and discounters, Verboven et al. examine the competitive effect between retailers of a similar kind and the effects that local conditions can have upon the success the the two formats.

Efficiency in the 'market for innovation'

Alberto Galasso, Mark Schankerman

The 'market for innovation' - the licensing and sale of patents - is one of the principal incentives for firms to invest in R&D. In CEPR DP 6946, Galasso and Schankerman set out to examine the impact that US developments have had on market efficiency, by studying the length of patent infringement disputes and find that the US system has performed surprisingly well in recent decades.

Settling the trade/growth dispute – the impact of the Uruguay Round

Antoni Estevadeordal, Alan Taylor

The link between greater openness to trade and higher growth, once held sacred by economists, has come under contestation in recent years. The authors of DP6942 develop a growth model with a basis for trade in order to uncover the impressive impact trade has had upon growth of GDP, using data from before and after the Uruguay Round.

The price of oil and the state of the world economy: using terrorism as the instrumental variable

Natalie Chen, Liam Graham, Andrew J Oswald

Higher energy prices are likely to reduce profitability of industry and thus could bring about an economic downturn. The authors of DP 6937 experiment with terrorist acts as an instrumental variable, in order to examine the relationship between the price of oil, terrorist incidents and the resultant effects on profitability and margins.

Happiness inequality in the United States

Betsey Stevenson, Justin Wolfers

Surveys that have attempted to measure the level of happiness in US citizens by means of a subjective response have unveiled decreases in happiness inequality. The authors of CEPR DP6929 have used these responses to analyse the level and dispersion of happiness within and between demographic groups over the period of 1972-2006.