If nominal wages cannot fall, then positive inflation may facilitate real wage adjustment. We examine data on individuals' wage changes and find only limited evidence of such downward nominal rigidity. The shape of the distribution of wage changes is little affected by the rate of inflation....

The analysis by Lebow concerns Japan. Given the high public debt levels, it focuses on the fiscal implications of the monetary expansion undertaken since the early nineties and those of a possible reversal of such a policy in case inflation picks up. The paper argues that for analysing fiscal...

This paper develops a methodology for evaluating the short-run welfare implications of different exchange rate regimes. Heterogeneous, optimizing domestic consumers live for two periods, consume goods and leisure, supply labor, save home and foreign bonds, and demand currency. Firms maximize...

We explain the rapid increase in personal savings in China since the economic liberalization which began in 1979. We use an intertemporal disequilibrium framework based upon a virtual price technique. The virtual price is defined as the price level that would induce the observed level of...

Japan's government debt is extremely high, especially considering the fact that the data exclude likely future liabilities stemming from an ageing population and possible requirements of the financial system. Nevertheless, an offsetting factor is the degree to which the Bank of Japan has already...