We examine optimal and other monetary policies in a linear-quadratic setup with a relatively general form of model uncertainty, so-called Markov jump-linear-quadratic systems extended to include forward-looking variables. The form of model uncertainty our framework encompasses includes : simple...

The competitive allocation of labor across different sectors of an economy may not be socially optimal when one sector uses foreign capital. We argue that a suitably designed government intervention is required to restrict the sectors to their optimal size and maximize national welfare. Such a...

We study the problem of a policymaker who seeks to set policy optimally in an economy where the true economic structure is unobserved, and policymakers optimally learn from their observations of the economy. This is a classic problem of learning and control, variants of which have been studied...

Barriers to outsourcing that are being currently implemented in the US effectively tax its companies who export jobs through outsourcing. The objective is to raise domestic employment. Given that many of the important international markets where the US has a comparative advantage feature...

We provide an analysis of enforcement policies applicable to formal sector in dual labor markets. We use a framework with heterogeneous firms, endogenous determination of informal wage and politically dictated enforcement strategies. Firms which operate both in the formal and informal sectors do...

International joint ventures (JV) are popular institutional forms chosen by the less developed countries (LDCs) to attract foreign Investments. In this paper we describe a set up where a multinational firm (MNF) decides on the volume of investment and the LDC gov-ernment offers a package...

We study the possibility of cartel formation among primary exporters who face an inelastic world demand for their exports. By constructing an appropriate infinitely repeated export game, we show that varying country sizes will pose difficulties in sustaining the collusive behaviour.

The concept of factor intensity has played a key role in the development of international trade theory. The factor proportions utilized in the production of commodities differ from activity to activity. Some commodities employ a higher ratio of capital to labor than do others, and the basic...

The parpose of this paper is to model and describe the consequences for labor markets in an underdeveloped economy of foreign Investment in an enclave sector.Foreign technology tends to expose some of the hidden talents in the local labor force.Replacement of foreign labor by domestic labor...

This paper builds up a two country model of trade and unemployment allowing for perfect mobility of capital across the borders. Capital moves from the north to the south, which suffers from unemployment. A few basic policies related to lowering of unemployment are discussed. In particular it is...