The secular decline in safe interest rates since the early 1980s has been the subject of considerable attention. In this short paper, we argue that it is important to consider the evolution of safe real rates in conjunction with three other first-order macroeconomic stylized facts: the relative...

A general model of intertemporal consumption choice is developed, following Samuelson`s 1958 OLG-approach. The efficiency properties of the model are discussed with and without the introduction of durable goods, of productive capital, and fiat money. It is shown that the criterion of golden rule...