In addition to funding government and redistributing income, a redistributive tax-and-transfer system, and a progressive income tax in particular, provides insurance against the risk of uncertain future income. By providing for high taxes for high incomes, and low taxes, exemptions, and...

We present a novel argument demonstrating that when trade is characterized by uncertainty the comparative advantages doctrine is misleading and a positive level of diversification is growth enhancing. Applying a result developed in the mathematical biological literature, we show that, in...

We investigate the fundamental determinants of sustainability in general equilibrium. We adopt a definition of sustainability that requires that the welfare of future generations is not expected to decrease on average. We then use a stochastic growth model to explore the conditions under which...

I explore how and and to what extent policy uncertainty can account for the observed long-run cross-country differences in capital price and levels of aggregate investment and output. I present a model economy where the industry-level policy-related investment cost is uncertain. Holding the...

We investigate the international shock propagation of the US quality of political signals (USQPOLS) to developed and emerging economies. We find an immediate rise in the real GDP of the developed economies as a result of a unit shock to USQPOLS. However, the shock effect only becomes significant...