Bøger i (NBER) National Bureau of Economic Research Conference Reports (CHUP) serien

There has been an increase in food price instability in recent years, with varied consequences for farmers, market participants, and consumers. Does financial speculation affect food price volatility? This book address this and other questions.

"Agriculture plays a key role in economic growth and development. As recently as 1800, more than half the population in most European countries worked on farms and in fields, though this shifted with the industrial revolution. Agricultural efficiencies were not immediately apparent until the middle of the 20th century when yields began to increase and they have continued to grow at a steady pace since. At the same time, inflation-adjusted agricultural commodity prices have been trending downward as increases in supply outpaced increases in demand. Food is an essential good, and while its price is currently low due to its abundance, it is responsible for a large consumer surplus given the highly inelastic demand. Understanding the factors that contribute to the upward trend in yields is of first-order importance for food security and human welfare. This book contains eight chapters that examine the factors behind the remarkably steady increase in yields around the globe, in order to better understand whether this trend can continue into the future and whether it will impose significant environmental externalities. The volume provides fresh and original analyses using methodological innovations to analyze recently available micro-level data sets"--

"This book provides a comprehensive treatment, with chapters that examine the returns to undergrad education, how costs differ by major, the productivity of for-profit schools, the productivity of various types of faculty, how online education has affected the market, and more. This work addresses the five challenges to assessing productivity in higher ed: multiple outcomes, the "multi-product" nature of institutions, selection, attribution, and the public nature of some benefits"--

Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) highlight the potential of this technology to affect productivity, growth, inequality, market power, innovation, and employment. This volume seeks to set the agenda for economic research on the impact of AI. It covers four broad themes: AI as a general purpose technology; the relationships between AI, growth, jobs, and inequality; regulatory responses to changes brought on by AI; and the effects of AI on the way economic research is conducted. It explores the economic influence of machine learning, the branch of computational statistics that has driven much of the recent excitement around AI, as well as the economic impact of robotics and automation and the potential economic consequences of a still-hypothetical artificial general intelligence. The volume provides frameworks for understanding the economic impact of AI and identifies a number of open research questions. Contributors: Daron Acemoglu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Philippe Aghion, Collège de France Ajay Agrawal, University of Toronto Susan Athey, Stanford University James Bessen, Boston University School of Law Erik Brynjolfsson, MIT Sloan School of Management Colin F. Camerer, California Institute of Technology Judith Chevalier, Yale School of Management Iain M. Cockburn, Boston University Tyler Cowen, George Mason University Jason Furman, Harvard Kennedy School Patrick Francois, University of British Columbia Alberto Galasso, University of Toronto Joshua Gans, University of Toronto Avi Goldfarb, University of Toronto Austan Goolsbee, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Rebecca Henderson, Harvard Business School Ginger Zhe Jin, University of Maryland Benjamin F. Jones, Northwestern University Charles I. Jones, Stanford University Daniel Kahneman, Princeton University Anton Korinek, Johns Hopkins University Mara Lederman, University of Toronto Hong Luo, Harvard Business School John McHale, National University of Ireland Paul R. Milgrom, Stanford University Matthew Mitchell, University of Toronto Alexander Oettl, Georgia Institute of Technology Andrea Prat, Columbia Business School Manav Raj, New York University Pascual Restrepo, Boston University Daniel Rock, MIT Sloan School of Management Jeffrey D. Sachs, Columbia University Robert Seamans, New York University Scott Stern, MIT Sloan School of Management Betsey Stevenson, University of Michigan Joseph E. Stiglitz. Columbia University Chad Syverson, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Matt Taddy, University of Chicago Booth School of Business Steven Tadelis, University of California, Berkeley Manuel Trajtenberg, Tel Aviv University Daniel Trefler, University of Toronto Catherine Tucker, MIT Sloan School of Management Hal Varian, University of California, Berkeley

In this study, policymakers in the Reagan administration and academics offer a view of how and why economic policy in the 1980s developed the way it did. Monetary and exchange rate policy, tax policy and budget issues are discussed here.

Case studies examining how firms co-ordinate economic activity in the face of asymmetric information are the focus of this volume. It studies the development of the flow of information and co-ordination of economic activity within and between firms.

Building on Claudia Goldin's landmark research on the labor history of the United States, this book features contributors who consider the roles of education and technology in contributing to American economic growth and well-being, the experience of women in the workforce, and how trends in marriage and family affected broader economic outcomes.

Along with its painful economic costs, the financial crisis of 2008 raised concerns over the future of international policy making. This book includes contributions that consider the ways in which the global economic order might address the challenges of globalization that have arisen over the years and has intensified by the recent crisis.

The oldest members of the baby boom generation are now crossing the threshold of eligibility for Social Security and Medicare, with significant implications for these programs' fiscal sustainability. This book focuses on the relationship between health and financial well-being, especially as people age.

The role of the housing market in the recent recession raised questions about similar episodes in economic history. Were the underlying causes of housing and mortgage crises the same in earlier episodes? This volume provides context for understanding events by examining how historical housing and mortgage markets worked - and sometimes failed.

Drawing out the underlying economics in business history, this text focuses on learning processes and the development of competitively valuable asymmetries. It shows that organizations learn that this process can be organized effectively, which can have major implications for how competition works.

An overview of the political and economic issues involved in the formation of budget deficits. The text brings together theoretical models, empirical evidence and case studies to analyze the effect of political institutions, fiscal regulations, and policy decisions on accumulating deficits.

Controlling inflation is among the most important objectives of economic policy. This volume focuses on understanding the causes of the Great Inflation of the 1970s and '80s, which saw rising inflation in many nations and propelled interest rates across the developing world into the double digits.

Focuses on the effects of fiscal stimuli and increased government spending, with contributions that consider the measurement of the multiplier effect and its size. This title also includes contributions discuss the merits of alternate means of debt reduction through decreased government spending or increased taxes.

Focuses on the changing financial circumstances of the elderly and the relationship of these circumstances to health and health care. This title addresses such topics as: out-of-pocket health care costs, the effects of inflation on social security, and the impact of the financial crisis on Americans' well-being.

The baby boom generation's entry into old age has led to an unprecedented increase in the elderly population. The social and economic effects of this shift are significant. This title takes a eclectic view of the subject. It offers in-depth analysis of the effects of retirement plans, employer contributions, and housing prices on retirement.

Presents an argument that free enterprise and well-developed financial systems are proven to produce growth in those countries that have them. It also suggests that in some other capitalist countries, arrangements truly do concentrate corporate ownership in the hands of a few wealthy families.