Why do proposals to lower taxes often meet with opposition in Congress. One argument is that lowering taxes without an equivalent fall in government spending may lead to future budget deficits, which will translate into higher long-term interest rates and a lower level of income. Sylvain Leduc...

On an international level, countries often engage in vigorous debate about which type of exchange-rate system to follow – fixed or flexible? A question central to that debate is: Does one particular exchange-rate system promote a more stable economic environment?

Sylvain Leduc notes that the extent of international risk-sharing remains surprisingly small. This appears to be the case even though the development of international financial markets should better equip households to pool their resources so that their level of consumption varies less from year...

Why did inflation increase so dramatically from the 1960s to the 1970s? One possible theory is that once people started believing inflation would rise, the Fed was forced to validate those expectations by increasing the money supply. In "How Inflation Hawks Escape Expectations Traps," Sylvain...