Martin Zagler

Fiscal Policy and Economic Growth

This paper surveys the literature on fiscal policy and economic growth. We present a unifying framework for the analysis of long run growth implications of government expenditures and revenues. We find that several tax rates and expenditure categories exhibit a direct impact on the growth rate of the economy. In a creative synthesis we have assigned the relevant literature to the twelve introduced policy variables. Due to the equivalence of some policy variables we are left with six degrees of freedom, where we need four to internalize the models intrinsic externalities, leaving two instruments to conduct short run fiscal policy. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2003.

Institutional and Organizational Determinants of Product Innovations

This paper analyses, estimates, and compares four prototypic models of innovation, from a simple technological model to an elaborated institutional model that includes financial, organizational and technological variables. The comparison of the four models shows that institutions, in particular the national system of innovation, and organizations matter. Networks and information flows from different economic actors add to the explanatory power and give the best model fit. The empirical analysis is based on the second Community Innovation Survey Studies (CIS II) of the European Union.

Economic growth, structural change, and search unemployment

Economic growth is driven by structural change. Structural change does not come without a cost. The most evident social cost of structural change is high and persistent unemployment. This paper develops a model with an endogenously expanding service sector, where the constant flow of workers in and out of employment leads to structural unemployment. The main finding is that the level of unemployment is different between the initial period and the long-run equilibrium growth path, and that along the transition path, the level of unemployment will overshoot its equilibrium level, which can explain the long-run pattern of unemployment in most industrialized countries.

Economic Growth And The Quantity And Distribution Of Education: A Survey

The focus of this survey is to discuss different attempts at incorporating the distributional dimension of human capital into the theoretical and empirical growth framework. We present a series of models which deviate from the direct link between the aggregate or average level of human capital and economic growth in that they introduce the distribution of education as a new element in explaining the relationship under investigation. After surveying the theoretical literature, we present recent empirical work on the relation between economic performance and the average level, as well as the distribution of education, respectively.

Endogenous growth, market failures and economic policy

List of Figures and Tables Acknowledgements Introduction: the Empirics of Economic Growth PART I: FISCAL POLICY Economic Growth, Environmental Damage, and Sustainable Taxation Endogenous Growth, Division of Labour, and Fiscal Policy Debts, Deficits, and Economic Growth PART II: MONETARY POLICY Monetary Policy in a New Keynesian Model of Endogenous Growth Foreign Indebtedness Inflation, and Exchange Rate Overshooting PART III: TRADE POLICY Protectionism, Trade, and Growth Estimating Growth Conclusion: Policy Implications Appendix Endnotes Bibliography Name Index Subject Index

In)equality in Education and Economic Development

This paper investigates the relationship between the level and the distribution of education and economic development. We contribute to the literature by introducing an interaction term between the education Gini coefficient and average years of schooling. In a dynamic panel over 55 years and 134 countries we provide, on the one hand, strong evidence that more schooling is good for growth, but the coefficient is variable and substantially declining in the degree of inequality. The aggregate benefit to education thus depends on a countrys position in the education distribution. On the other hand, we find a slight transitional increase in education inequality to be beneficial at a very low average level of schooling, but detrimental for growth at a relatively high average level. Allowing for the macroeconomic return to education to be heterogeneous with respect to the degree of inequality is therefore paramount in understanding the relationship between education and development.

Wage pacts and economic growth

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to theoretically investigate the impact of wage pacts on economic growth. Design/methodology/approach – This paper presents an innovation driven endogenous growth model, where firms and unions bargain over wages. Findings – Finds that the degree of centralization of the bargaining structure plays a crucial rule for economic performance. Central bargaining, which incorporates the leapfrogging externality incorporated in firm-level bargaining, will yield lower rates of unemployment for a given rate of economic growth. The increase in labor resources will in turn also yield faster growth rates in a corporatist economy. Indeed, when unions focus on issues other than short term wage increases, they may even outperform the non-unionized economy, as they can internalize the knowledge externality through long-term wage moderation pacts. Research limitations/implications – The paper is theoretical with some anecdotal evidence, and lacks thorough empirical testing. Practical implications – There are strong implications for economic policy, suggesting the promotion of wage pacts. Before implementation, prior empirical conformation of the results is required. Originality/value – This is the first paper that demonstrates under which conditions unions can promote economic growth and reduce unemployment through long-term wage pacts.

Tax Treaties and the Allocation of Taxing Rights With Developing Countries

Global income taxation in the country of residence is a legal dogma of international taxation. We question this dogma from the perspective of relations with developing countries from a legal and economic perspective, and make a modern and fair proposal for tax treaties. We will show under which conditions a developing and a developed country will voluntarily sign a tax treaty where information is exchanged truthfully and whether they should share revenues. Moreover, we will demonstrate how the conclusion of a tax treaty can assist in the implementation of a tax audit system.

DOES ECONOMIC GROWTH EXHIBIT A DIFFERENT IMPACT ON JOB CREATION AND JOB DESTRUCTION

The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the link between economic growth and unemployment, using microeconometric evidence for the United Kingdom. The results show a significant and negative relation between unemployment and economic growth, using fixed effects panel regression methods. This implies that faster sectoral change, driven by higher rates of innovation and therefore by higher rates of economic growth, would foster structural unemployment. Moreover, we find that economic growth even more strongly influences job creation and job destruction.

Aggregate Demand, Economic Growth, and Unemployment

This paper argues that in a growing economy unemployment can be the cause of goods markets failures, even if these are purely transitory. As the economy grows, new firms wish to enter products are accepted on the market, which we model as a purely transitory demand shock. It may take some time, however, until their products are accepted on the market, which we model as a purely transitory demand shock.