The concept of Economic Reform is described as a planned shift from one, Pareto inefficient, but quasi-stable, equilibrium (or 'trap') to a new Pareto superior equilibrium which is, or is designed to become, stable too. The concept is applied to recent 'shock' stabilization programs, with...

The comprehensive stabilization program that Israel launched in July 1985 has brought about a dramatic reduction in inflation at no visible unemployment cost while improving the external financial position of the country. The program's success lies in a drastic cut in the government deficit but...

A simple analytical framework is used to consider alternative exchange rate regimes and their bearing on macroeconomic management of a semi- industrial economy. The emphasis is on the implications of different degrees of capital mobility. One of the topics taken up is the conflict between the...

Macroeconomic factors in general, and the macropolicy response to common external shocks (such as oil prices and real interest rates) in particular, have in recent decades played a dominant role in countries' protracted growth crises as well as in growth renewal and its long-run sustainability....

The rate of inflation in Israel increased from 8 percent in 1965 to 300-400 percent in the first half of 1984. The inflationary process until 1977 was not qualitatively different from that in the OECD countries, but after the financial liberalization of 1977 the economy appeared to move into a...

The paper applies an aggregate supply and demand framework for the study of Israel's brand of stagflation. After a very rapid growth period between 1967-1973 Israel's subsequent share growth slowdown and accelerated inflation seem particularly marked by any international comparison. The...

We develop a model of aggregate supply and demand in the open economy to explain the important characteristics of international macroeconomic adjustment in the 1970s. Traditional demand-oriented models cannot account for the worldwide phenomenon of rising inflation and unemployment in the...

On July 1 the Israeli government adopted a comprehensive emergency program for stabilization and recovery which has had dramatic consequences, at least in the very short-run. Within a few months inflation was down to 1-2 percent a month, foreign exchange reserves were rising rapidly andin spite...

In this paper we explore in detail the various ways by which the introduction of intermediate imports affects the comparative statics and the dynamics of adjustment in an open economy. The importance of integrating the role of intermediate imports into a theory of macro-economic adjustment...

This article analyses the roots of the deep crisis that has afflicted the Israeli economy since 1973 and the attempt at economic reform and recovery since 1985. All of these are discussed against the background of the long-term evolution in Israel's structure and growth process. At the center of...