National Institute of Economic and Social Research Economic and Social Studies – serie

This 1973 book contains the results of a research project carried out at the National Institute between 1966 and 1969 on the economics of urban form. The effects of size, shape and form on costs of construction are examined for various model settlements. The populations of these models, and hence the facilities requires, are built up from a study of actual towns, existing and planned. Transport systems are examined, as well as the extra costs and advantages of expanding an existing settlement rather than developing on a virgin site. The financing of development and efficient use of resources is also touched upon. Finally, the discussion is placed in a nationwide context by consideration of the possible effects of development on existing towns and cities, whose viability could be endangered by a cumulative decline in their population and economic activity.

This 1985 book is a comparative study of the origins and experience of inflation from 1950 until the 1980s in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, West Germany, France, and Italy, and in the world economy as a whole. It looks at the history of inflation, and the relationship of changes in rates of inflation and real income growth. Further chapters look at the kinds of inflationary impulse and their origins (particularly with regard to the money supply and the labour market), the role of expectations, the apparent effects of inflation on income distribution, the level of unemployment and the rate of economic growth. The final chapter looks at the effects on inflation of the depression of 1979-82, and draws the conclusions together. The book thus attempts a geographically broader study of inflationary experience than had previously been presented.

The high level of unemployment in Britain in the 1980s led many people to believe that it would continue indefinitely, and many arguments were advanced to explain it. After a preliminary examination of the statistics of employment and unemployment in Britain, this 1991 book exposes the major factors determining their trends as a basis for considering the likely developments and policy options. The study covers most of the explanations found in academic debate as well as in popular belief, drawing on a wide range of empirical research, including systematic international comparisons as well as case studies of particular interest. The analysis is carried out under four main headings: structural change; the wage question; macroeconomic policy; and the international dimension. The book concludes with a consideration of the practicability of the different policies which emerge.

This book is a survey of macroeconomic policy in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s which argues that there were important elements of continuity in the way decisions were actually taken year-by-year and month-by-month in the Treasury and the Bank of England in this period. It is written by Andrew Britton, the director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and previously a senior economist at the Treasury, and is a sequel to the NIESR studies by Christopher Dow (1945-60) and by Frank Blackaby and others (1960-74). Part One is a chronological account of policy actions and their setting. Part Two provides a history of ideas, describing the most influential writings of economists in Britain during this period, while Part Three looks at the influence of the world economy on Britain. Parts Four and Five include several elements of new statistical analysis concerning the way in which policy instruments were used, in particular the signals to which policymakers reacted when setting interest rates.

The behaviour of the labour market is widely seen as the cause of the UK's poor macroeconomic performance from the mid-1960s. The functioning of the labour market is addressed in this book, first published in 1994, by an international group of economists. They assemble micro and macroeconomic evidence on the UK, the US, France and Germany, and discuss whether the UK labour market is different, and also if it has changed over time. The microeconomic evidence is assessed by Blanchflower and Freeman and by Gregg and Machin. The Thatcher reforms to industrial relations, surveyed by Metcalf, appear to have increased inequality without producing a more flexible labour market. Gregory and Sandoval suggest that minimum wages might have helped alleviate the rise in inequality in the UK. The effects of the reforms of the 1980s are unclear. Minford and Riley suggest that they have had an impact, whilst Barrell, Pain and Young present evidence that little has changed. The micro and macroeconomic approaches are complemented by Grubb's detailed survey of the effects of labour market policies as well as by the overview paper by Anderton and Mayhew.

Robert Hall was the highly respected and influential Economic Adviser to the government between 1947 and 1961. He came to England from Australia as a Rhodes Scholar, became an Oxford don and a wartime civil servant. Within two years of returning to Oxford after the war, he was recalled to Whitehall. His appointment as Director of the Economic Section, first in the Cabinet Office and then in the Treasury, came at a crucial time in the development of the modern economic state, when governments were just taking on responsibility for managing the general course of the economy. As the senior members of the Treasury were rooted in a pre-Keynesian age, Hall's influence grew rapidly and was at times dominant with ministers. He was involved in all aspects of economic policy. This book puts a new slant on the events of these years as well as assessing Hall's role in them.

This book is a survey of macroeconomic policy in Britain in the 1970s and 1980s which argues that there were important elements of continuity in the way decisions were actually taken year-by-year and month-by-month in the Treasury and the Bank of England in this period. It is written by Andrew Britton, the director of the National Institute of Economic and Social Research, and previously a senior economist at the Treasury, and is a sequel to the NIESR studies by Christopher Dow (1945-60) and by Frank Blackaby and others (1960-74). Part One is a chronological account of policy actions and their setting. Part Two provides a history of ideas, describing the most influential writings of economists in Britain during this period, while Part Three looks at the influence of the world economy on Britain. Parts Four and Five include several elements of new statistical analysis concerning the way in which policy instruments were used, in particular the signals to which policymakers reacted when setting interest rates.

Switzerland is universally respected for its highly successful economy. It has long enjoyed low unemployment and inflation, and an exceptionally satisfactory transition process for youngsters from school to work. This book provides a nuts-and-bolts comparison of how that more successful transition is brought about. It explains the different emphases of Swiss secondary schooling by focusing on the way in which both academic and practical subjects are taught. The different ways in which career guidance and spells of work experience are handled in Britain and Switzerland are also compared.

Switzerland is universally respected for its highly successful economy. It has long enjoyed low unemployment and inflation, and an exceptionally satisfactory transition process for youngsters from school to work. This book provides a nuts-and-bolts comparison of how that more successful transition is brought about. It explains the different emphases of Swiss secondary schooling by focusing on the way in which both academic and practical subjects are taught. The different ways in which career guidance and spells of work experience are handled in Britain and Switzerland are also compared.

This volume brings together leading European scholars and policy-makers to address the determinants of foreign direct investment (FDI) and its effects on globalisation, growth and European integration since 1945. The main focus of the study is foreign direct investment by German multinational companies. A range of methods, including econometric studies, survey-based analysis, and detailed discussions of published statistics are used to assess the implications for the German economy and the results in host countries of foreign investment. Consideration is also given to FDI by Swedish multinational corporations, as well as to the role national and supranational institutions can play in stimulating FDI. Although FDI often raises fears for employment and growth, it is an effective way of transferring techniques, processes and products into new markets. Firm-specific assets transferred in this way can raise productivity in the host country without sacrificing jobs in the home country.

The text examines how companies cope with the pressures which are unleashed by recessions. It is based on a large scale survey undertaken in the spring of 1993 which involved the participation of more than 600 leading UK companies. The questionnaire data was combined with a long enough time-series of data on the financial performance of most of the companies to enable us to trace effects left over from the recession in the early 1980s. The main issues examined in the book are: what makes companies vulnerable to recessionary pressures? How do companies typically respond to these pressures? How have recessionary pressures been transmitted back into labour markets and what kinds of institutional changes have they induced? Finally, do recessionary pressures stimulate innovative activity?

The text examines how companies cope with the pressures which are unleashed by recessions. It is based on a large scale survey undertaken in the spring of 1993 which involved the participation of more than 600 leading UK companies. The questionnaire data was combined with a long enough time-series of data on the financial performance of most of the companies to enable us to trace effects left over from the recession in the early 1980s. The main issues examined in the book are: what makes companies vulnerable to recessionary pressures? How do companies typically respond to these pressures? How have recessionary pressures been transmitted back into labour markets and what kinds of institutional changes have they induced? Finally, do recessionary pressures stimulate innovative activity?

Macroeconomic modelling has been one of the most important and influential areas of economic research. This book presents contributions from the leading researchers working in this area as part of the ongoing research project sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council, Bank of England and UK Treasury. The papers combine a description of the latest techniques used in modelling the economy with an account of the way that models can be used for purposes of policy analysis. Designed for use by advanced students and professional economists, the book considers issues including: why 'bad' forecasters, i.e. those with no coherent and properly articulated view of the functioning of the macroeconomy, do so well; reconciling short term dynamics with economic theory; modelling tax policy; and the stabilisation costs of European Monetary Union.

Productivity and its determinants is a prominent feature in economic debate. Output per person or per capita is still the most influential measure of the prosperity of nations. Productivity depends on the quantity and quality of the factors of production available to a country and the social framework within which they operate. Education and the research base affect both the quality of factors and the ability of a nation to produce. This volume examines differences in productivity between nations, and provides comprehensive discussion as to why such differences exist; it addresses the importance of the growth and measurement of service productivity, and studies the role of human capital in adapting to new technologies. The creation of knowledge through research and development and its diffusion through trade, investment and the interaction of firms are also fully investigated.

Abstract economic theory may be timeless and potentially universal in its application, but macroeconomics has to be seen in its historical context. The nature of the policy regime, the behaviour of the economy and the beliefs of professional economists all interact, and influence each other. This short historical account of monetary regimes since 1900 shows how the role of policy has changed, and how this has related to experience of inflation and the real economy, as well as to changes in political philosophies. The narrative concentrates on developments in America, Europe and Japan from the era of the classical gold standard, via the era of policy intervention and reduced faith in the market to the present 'neo-liberal' regimes. The 'grand narrative' of the century is a journey 'to Utopia and back'. It is argued that no school of macroeconomics is right for all time; different theoretical models may be appropriate, for different periods and regimes.