The Future Information Infrastructure in Economics

[Symposium: Electronic Journals in Economics]

By William L. Goffe and Robert P. Parks

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

This paper is a first look at how the information infrastructure for economists will change with the arrival of the Internet. While paper has long been used for the flow of information in the profession, computer networks are starting to supplement it and...

The AEA's Electronic Publishing Plans: A Progress Report

[Symposium: Electronic Journals in Economics]

By Hal R. Varian

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

This paper describes the American Economic Association's electronic publishing plans. Special attention is given to the JSTOR project and to pricing issues. There is also some speculation about how journals and publication will evolve in this new medium.

Bridging the Gap between the Public's and Economists' Views of the Economy

By Robert J. Blendon, John M. Benson, Mollyann Brodie, Richard Morin, Drew E. Altman, Daniel Gitterman, Mario Brossard, and Matt James

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

This paper reports the results of two parallel 1996 surveys, one of economists, one of the public. It finds that the public has a bleaker picture of what has happened economically to the average family and is more pessimistic than most economists about th...

Restructuring, Competition and Regulatory Reform in the U.S. Electricity Sector

By Paul L. Joskow

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

The U.S. electricity sector is going through dramatic changes. The changes are expanding competition in the generating segment of the industry, making it possible for consumers to choose among competing generation service suppliers, and reforming the regu...

FDICIA after Five Years

By George J. Benston and George G. Kaufman

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

At year-end 1991, Congress enacted fundamental deposit insurance reform for banks and thrifts--the FDIC Improvement Act. This reform followed the failure of more than 2,000 depository institutions in the 1980s. Many failed because the incentive incompatib...

A Nobel Prize for Game Theorists: The Contributions of Harsanyi, Nash and Selten

By Faruk Gul

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

The purpose of this essay is to celebrate the contributions of John C. Harsanyi, John F. Nash, and Reinhard Selten to economics. The emphasis is on tracing the influence of their work on economic analysis rather than giving a detailed account of each of t...

Policy Watch: The Family and Medical Leave Act

By Christopher J. Ruhm

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

This article summarizes the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act, its possible effects on labor markets, and the resulting changes in the ability of workers to take leave. The author concludes that the actual provisions of the act are quite mode...

Correspondence & Response [Econometrics and Presidential Elections].

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

Recommendations for Further Reading

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

Notes

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

Front Matter

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Summer 1997

EMU: Why and How It Might Happen

[Symposium: EMU]

By Charles Wyplosz

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

This paper reviews the history, economic rationale, and main components of the project of establishing a monetary union in Europe by 1999. The adoption of a single currency is shown to be the best available option following the liberalization of capital m...

The Political Economy of the European Economic and Monetary Union: Political Sources of an Economic Liability

[Symposium: EMU]

By Martin Feldstein

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

EMU would be an economic liability. A single currency would cause, at most, small trade and investment gains but would raise average cyclical unemployment and possibly raise inflation, perpetuate structural unemployment, and increase the risk of protectio...

Rethinking Federalism

[Symposium: Fiscal Federalism]

By Robert P. Inman and Daniel L. Rubinfeld

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

The appropriate federal structure of government is now a policy issue of major debate. This paper identifies three approaches and compares their strengths and weaknesses. Economic federalism recommends the use of competitive communities for the provision ...

Devolution, Grants, and Fiscal Competition

[Symposium: Fiscal Federalism]

By Richard A. Musgrave

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

Following half a century of fiscal activism and federal leadership, the call now is for downsizing the federal budget and a devolution of fiscal responsibilities to states and localities. The call for "federalism," meant to secure a stronger center in Jam...

Tiebout? Or Not Tiebout? The Market Metaphor and America's Devolution Debate

[Symposium: Fiscal Federalism]

By John D. Donahue

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

The market metaphor of intergovernmental choice as a spur to efficiency (formalized by Charles M. Tiebout) is often invoked to support the shift away from Washington and toward the states. But the model translates badly to governments; governmental entry ...

Federalism as a Commitment to Reserving Market Incentives

[Symposium: Fiscal Federalism]

By Yingyi Qian and Barry R. Weingast

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

The authors advance a new perspective in the study of federalism. Their approach views federalism as a governance solution of the state to credibly preserving market incentives. Market incentives are preserved if the state is credibly prevented from compr...

Meddling Through: Regulating Local Telephone Competition in the United States

[Symposium: Telecommunications Deregulation Around The World]

By Robert G. Harris and C. Jeffrey Kraft

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

After a brief history of telecommunication policies and the development of local competition in the United States, this paper analyzes the Telecommunications Act of 1996 and subsequent FCC and state regulatory decisions. Unfortunately, these recent policy...

European Telecommunications Markets on the Verge of Full Liberalization

[Symposium: Telecommunications Deregulation Around The World]

By Leonard Waverman and Esen Sirel

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

January 1, 1998 is the date when voice telephony is fully liberalized in most European countries. The process of privatization and liberalization has been uneven across Europe; actively embraced by countries such as the U. K., Sweden, and Finland, while o...

The Frontier of Telecommunications Deregulation: Small Countries Leading the Pack

[Symposium: Telecommunications Deregulation Around The World]

By Pablo T. Spiller and Carlo G. Cardilli

Journal of Economic Perspectives, Fall 1997

Interconnection, equal access, unbundling, and industry structure are four key determinants of facilities-based competition in telecommunications. Using these building blocks, this paper analyzes the differences in telecommunications regulatory regimes in...