Relationship banking based on Okun’s ‘customer credit markets’ has important implications for monetary policy via the credit transmission channel. Studies of less-developed country (LDC) credit markets from this point of view seem to be scanty and this article attempts to...

This paper considers the Great Inflation of the 1970s in Japan and Germany. From 1975 onward these countries had low inflation relative to other large economies. Traditionally, this success is attributed to stronger discipline on the part of Japan and Germany’s monetary authorities - for...

The chapter deals with the overall impact of the comprehensive incomes policy adopted in Italy in July 1993. The extraordinary merits of the agreement in curbing inflation are recognized, along with some incompleteness (with respect to Ezio Tarantelli’s proposal) in the way on one hand the...

The paper aims at explaining the ineffectiveness of the tripartite social pact of July 1993 (the so-called July Protocol) in fostering growth, further to curbing inflation and favouring employment. In the light of labour productivity dynamics, wage moderation after 1993 appears as a significant...

Post-Keynesians in general, and Geoff Harcourt in particular, have always laid much emphasis on incomes policies, which allow policy-makers to implement expansionary demand-side policies and ensure price stability. Mainstream economics, instead, gives little, if any, relevance to incomes...

In 2001 the Hungarian economy departed from the path of balanced growth. During the past six years the state budget deficit has grown to an unsustainable level, and also the deficit in the current accounts has become too high. Real wages have increased considerably faster than labour...

Economic policies in several major countries have shifted from fiscal stimulus to austerity in the last few years. They seek to reduce fiscal deficits and reverse the increasing trend of public debt mainly through immediate spending cuts. The fact that fiscal austerity is applied simultaneously...

Geoff Harcourt has been a thoroughgoing Keynesian committed to the achievement of sustainable (environmental and otherwise) and equitable (nationally and internationally) economic development and growth, and full employment of the available labour force. Achieving such an objective would...