Are open economies characterized by superior economic performance in the long-run? This paper revisits this important question from the point of the view of unified growth theory. Contrary to other recent attempts to study this question, the paper considers two distinct channels through which...

We show that the specification of technology differences in recent empirical studies of trade is not supported by basic growth theory and may lead to biased estimates of the pattern of specialization and trade.

The Ricardian principle of ‘comparative advantage’ refers to relative costs (relative autarky prices) compared to another country. The relative cost (price) functions can be obtained directly from specified cost functions with global regularity properties. We derive the CES relative cost...

In this paper, we empirically assess the impact of government debt on two key determinants of long-term growth, i.e., private investment and productivity, on a panel of 20 OECD economies from 1970 to 2009. Our main finding is that high public debts are followed by significant and linear declines...

This paper examines differences in the optimal strength of intellectual property rights protection in a North-South endogenous growth model where it is possible for the South to engage in imitation, innovation or both. The possibility of Southern innovation implies sharp breaks in optimal policy...

We find evidence supporting the hypothesis that countries at times misreport their economic data in a strategic manner. Among those suspected are countries with fixed exchange rate regimes, high negative net foreign asset positions or negative current account balances, which corroborates the...

The World Values Survey contains an item on ownership, which is polled 200 times in 92 countries at the four waves of 1990, 1995, 2000 and 2005. It is developed into the CS-score that measures the aggregate mass support for capitalism and socialism. Four hypotheses are advanced and tested to...

This paper uses a heterogeneous firms model to scrutinize the alleged aim of Fair Trade to help the most disadvantaged producers in developing countries. Incorporating important aspects of Fair Trade in a two-good heterogeneous firm model we show that the more productive firms will join Fair...

The European economic integration has been an ongoing process for nearly a half century. This article discuss initially the concept of integration and then gives an overall assessment of the development of integration on various areas. Evidence points to a remarkable process towards monetary...

Despite still being younger than a decade, the theory of multisided market has offered numerous valuable insights for the analysis of industries in which a supplier serves two distinct customer groups that are indirectly interrelated by externalities. Examples include payment systems, matching...