We show the dynamics of diverse beliefs is the primary propagation mechanism of volatility in asset markets. Hence, we treat the characteristics of the market beliefs as a primary, primitive, explanation of market volatility. We study an economy with stock and riskless bond markets and formulate...

Macroeconomics would not be what it is today without Edmund Phelps. This book assembles the field's leading figures to highlight the continuing influence of his ideas from the past four decades. Addressing the most important current debates in macroeconomic theory, it focuses on the rates at...

We study some implications of the Theory of Rational Beliefs to monetary policy. We show that monetary policy in a Rational Beliefs environment can have an important effect on the characteristics of economic fluctuations. In Rational Beliefs Equilibria money is generically non-neutral unlike...

The Rational Beliefs Theory is founded on the observation that in most situations the same data may be rationally explained (in terms of a statistical model) in many different ways. This is obvious in a world where there is a limited number of observations. The novel idea of the Rational Beliefs...

The Rational Beliefs Theory is founded on the observation that in most situations the same data may be rationally explained (in terms of a statistical model) in many different ways. This is obvious in a world where there is a limited number of observations. The novel idea of the Rational Beliefs...

The paper contrasts theories that explain diverse belief by asymmetric private information (PI) with theories which postulate agents use subjective heterogenous beliefs (HB). We focus on problems where agents forecast aggregates such as profit rate of the S&P500 and our model is similar to the...

Today’s demand for social insurance is supported by economic reasoning showing that private insurance markets do not provide efficient coverage for medical insurance, for inter-generational risk sharing and for income instability. It is unfashionable to say but government intervention in these...