Policy mix problems may arise in a monetary union with centralized monetary policy and decentralized fiscal policy. A consequence of this may be an inappropriate stabilization of shocks. This paper addresses how policy coordination problems are affected by the objectives of the monetary...

Recent developments in macroeconomics are reviewed, and it is argued that a better understanding of the role of market failures and institutions is a major achievement. The insights in when and how policy intervention may be called for have thus been improved. However, the progress does not...

This paper discusses how international integration affects the need and scope for welfare state activities. The first part reviews the main mechanisms, which have been considered in the literature, namely, tax base mobility, risk and race to the bottom effects in welfare policies. The second...

Unemployment is at a low and stable level in Denmark. This achievement is often attributed to the so-called flexicurity model combining flexible hiring and firing rules for employers with income security for employees. Whatever virtues this model may have, a low and stable unemployment rate is...

We explore the implications of having a divided society where group leaders have motives for aggression towards other groups but where entrepreneurs have a desire for cooperation and peace. We assert that it is members of the elites who start conflicts and wage wars while the entrepreneurs...

This paper analyses the basic labour market inter-dependencies among coun - tries with intra-industrial trade and imper fectly competitive product and labour markets. The paper stresses two major channels through which increased integration may affect product markets and therefore in turn labour...