In this paper, I study the political rationale for labor market regulation. Oligopolists employ raw labor and human capital (i.e. key workers) for production and R&D. There are many jurisdictions, in each of which a self-interested policy maker can regulate/deregulate the local labor market. I...

In this document, we consider the effects of a land reform on economic and demographic growth by a family-optimization model with sharecropping, endogenous fertility and status seeking. We show that tenant farming is the major obstacle to escaping the Malthusian trap with high fertility and low...

This document examines optimal capital taxation with wage-setting labour unions when the government taxes consumption, labour, and capital. The results are as follows. If unions can commit themselves to particular wages for a long period, then there is no hold-up problem. Otherwise, the hold-up...

Economic integration is examined in a multi-economy Schumpeterian growth model where economies differ in their research environment, and consequently in the productivity of R&D. It is shown that economies with more or less the same productivity of R&D integrate. In equilibrium, there can be many...

Since World War II, mortality has decreased in the developing world. This paper explores the effects of this mortality fall on economic and demographic growth by a family-optimization model, in which fertility is endogenous and relative wealth yields utility because of status-seeking. The main...

This document considers an economy with many regions and two engines of growth: horizontal R&D, which increases the number of polluting product lines; and vertical R&D, which improves productivity in these lines. Pollution in any region decreases welfare in all regions. Any group of regions can...

I consider the case where the conservation of land yields utility through biodiversity, firms improve their efficiency by in-house R&D and a large number of countries establish a self-interested government for biodiversity management. I compare the regulation of land use with direct subsidies...

I examine GHG emission policy in a world with a fixed number of regions. In each region, labor and emissions are complementary in production, total world-wide emissions decrease welfare, and total factor productivity can be improved by R&D. A subset of regions can establish an "abatement...