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Commercial Policy with Altruistic Voters

Journal of Political Economy 2003 111(1), 174-201
In public discussions of policy, evidence that import‐competing sectors earn low or falling incomes is often used to argue for protection. This paper rationalizes the apparent effectiveness of this argument in both direct and indirect democracies. In direct democracies, a small degree of voter altruism leads to protection in the specific factors model when the import‐competing sector earns little. Similarly, voter altruism creates an incentive in representative democracies for self‐interested parties to present evidence to legislators on the income of import‐competing factors. This leads to a theory in which campaign contributions buy access to legislators rather than buy votes.

Human Relations in the Workplace

Journal of Political Economy 1994 102(4), 684-717 open access
This paper seeks to understand what motivates workers to be altruistic toward one another and studies whether firms benefit from encouraging these "human relations" in the workplace. The paper first proposes that feelings of altruism can be individually rational in certain settings in which the variables controlled by the workers are strategically linked. The paper then studies what this implies for equilibrium altruism in two situations. The first has workers who are paid as a function of joint output. The second is the relationship between subordinates and their supervisors.

Human Relations in the Workplace

Journal of Political Economy 1994 102(4), 684-717
This paper seeks to understand what motivates workers to be altruistic toward one another and studies whether firms benefit from encouraging these "human relations" in the workplace. The paper first proposes that feelings of altruism can be individually rational in certain settings in which the variables controlled by the workers are strategically linked. The paper then studies what this implies for equilibrium altruism in two situations. The first has workers who are paid as a function of joint output. The second is the relationship between subordinates and their supervisors.

A Monetary Equilibrium Model with Transactions Costs

Journal of Political Economy 1984 92(1), 40-58
This paper presents the competitive equilibrium of an economy in which people hold money for transactions purposes. It studies both the steady states that result from different rates of monetary expansion and the effects of such non-steady-state events as an open-market operation. Even though the model features no uncertainty and perfect foresight, open-market operations affect aggregate output. In particular, a simultaneous increase in money and governmental holdings of capital temporarily raises aggregate capital and output while it lowers the real rate of interest on capital.

A Monetary Equilibrium Model with Transactions Costs

Journal of Political Economy 1984 92(1), 40-58
This paper presents the competitive equilibrium of an economy in which people hold money for transactions purposes. It studies both the steady states that result from different rates of monetary expansion and the effects of such non-steady-state events as an open-market operation. Even though the model features no uncertainty and perfect foresight, open-market operations affect aggregate output. In particular, a simultaneous increase in money and governmental holdings of capital temporarily raises aggregate capital and output while it lowers the real rate of interest on capital.

Sticky Prices in the United States

Journal of Political Economy 1982 90(6), 1187-1211 open access
It has often been argued that prices are sticky in the United States. However, the empirical papers that have claimed to support this view have not reflected any formal behavioral theory. This paper presents a theory that justifies price stickiness, namely, that firms, fearing to upset their customers, attribute a cost to price changes. The rational expectations equilibrium of an economy with many such firms is presented, estimated with postwar U.S. data, and tested against alternative hypotheses. The results largely support the model. Furthermore, the hypothesis that prices are not sticky is rejected by U.S. data.

Sticky Prices in the United States

Journal of Political Economy 1982 90(6), 1187-1211
[It has often been argued that prices are sticky in the United States. However, the empirical papers that have claimed to support this view have not reflected any formal behavioral theory. This paper presents a theory that justifies price stickiness, namely, that firms, fearing to upset their customers, attribute a cost to price changes. The rational expectations equilibrium of an economy with many such firms is presented, estimated with postwar U.S. data, and tested against alternative hypotheses. The results largely support the model. Furthermore, the hypothesis that prices are not sticky is rejected by U.S. data.]

Oligopolistic Pricing and the Effects of Aggregate Demand on Economic Activity

Journal of Political Economy 1992 100(6), 1153-1207
We construct a dynamic general equilibrium model in which the typical industry colludes by threatening to punish deviations from an implicitly agreed-on pricing path. We use methods similar to those of Kydland and Prescott to calibrate linearized versions of both our model and an analogous perfectly competitive model. We then compute the two models' predictions concerning the economy's responses to a change in military spending. The responses predicted by the oligopolistic model are closer to the empirical responses estimated with postwar U.S. data than the corresponding predictions of the competitive model.

Oligopolistic Pricing and the Effects of Aggregate Demand on Economic Activity

Journal of Political Economy 1992 100(6), 1153-1207
The authors construct a dynamic general equilibrium model in which the typical industry colludes by threatening to punish deviations from an implicitly agreed-on pricing path. They use methods similar to those of F. Kydland and E. Prescott (1982) to calibrate linearized versions of both their model and an analogous perfectly concerning model. The authors then compute the two models' predictions concerning the economy's responses to a change in military spending. The responses predicted by the oligopolistic model are closer to the empirical responses estimated with postwar U.S. data than the corresponding predictions of the competitive model.