As a public policy objective in Japan, food security shifted from one that had near consensus support after World War 11 to one that caused deep political divisions among a variety of groups and political actors. Japan continues to reconcile levels of commodity self-sufficiency with a variety of...

This paper defines the relationship between the nominal (or money) income elasticity and the real income elasticity of a tax system. Under most circumstances, the real and the nominal income elasticities differ. This difference has not been recognized by economists who rely strictly on nominal...

This book surveys the growth and decline of the Florentine economy, and that of Victorian Britain, and relates their experiences to the US in the era following the Second World War, a period notable for accumulating public debt. It also speculates on what options the US may have to avoid the...

Why do people vote for (and against) moderate rent controls? The microeconomic effects of rent controls are complex-they affect both renters and homeowners in many ways, creating a complicated pattern of winners and losers. Renters stand to gain initially from the controlled rents, but...