Knowledge that Transforms

[This paper develops a simple theory of nominal income and interest determination under the assumption that the only relevant distinction between money and bonds lies in their holding periods. Individuals take full account of the government budget constraint and do not concern themselves with discounting future tax liabilities associated with the issue of government bonds. According to this theory, the price of bonds is analogous to the price level, and the nominal rate of interest is determined by the bond/money ratio and bears no close relationship to the rate of expansion of the price level.]

Heterogeneity on both sides of the labor market implies that the correct matching of individuals to firms is of importance. If there is uncertainty about individual productive characteristics, there are both private and social returns to activities that generate information facilitating the assortative matching process. A model of individual investment in information is presented and analyzed. A key assumption is that there are no individuals who have an absolute advantage in all jobs. Under this assumption, all individuals view more accurate information as beneficial and therefore invest in its production. Comparative statics are derived and the model is compared to human capital and signaling-screening models.

This article examines the effects of an experiment in the indexation of bank deposits in Hungary during 1946. It is argued that this experiment reduced substantially the tax base against which the inflation-tax rate, determined by the issue of government currency, could be applied. Consequently, indexation was the decisive mechanism making the Hungarian hyperinflation of 1945-46 atypical of other hyperinflations. It is suggested that contemporary indexing strategies should exclude demand deposits from indexation, especially in countries where a substantial amount of government revenue is collected from new money issue.