One of the most significant characteristics of optimizing models is that the behavioral equations involved are typically forward looking, i.e., agents are concerned about the future rather than the past. This creates difficulties when modelling some of the business-cycle patterns widely observed...

Before a new financial architecture can be established in the wake of the financial crisis, the increasing importance of the global financial market channel must be fully understood. This importance was illustrated by the unexpectedly strong dampening effects of the financial crisis on the real...