Publications

Unconventional Monetary Policy and Inequality – Is Japan Unique?

and | 20 September 2019
Monetary, Research Papers | Tags: Inequality, Japan, Quantitative Easing
For over a decade, but especially since the start of Abenomics in 2013, the Bank of Japan (BoJ) has been increasing the monetary base rapidly by implementing an unconventional monetary policy (UMP). In a 2014 study, we found that Japan’s UMP had increased income inequality. ... continue reading

Distributional Impact of Unconventional Monetary Policies

| 25 June 2019
Monetary, Discussion Notes | Tags: Income Inequality, QE
The sustained application of accommodative monetary policies has led to concerns that they were aggravating inequality. The criticism has come from several quarters, from academics to private sector participants, from politicians to media and civil society organizations. Some argued that by boosting housing and stock ... continue reading

What the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Means for Tax Expenditures

| 20 June 2019
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Income Tax, Inequality, Tax Expenditures
In a new paper, my former Tax Policy Center colleague Daniel Berger and I calculate that the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) modestly reduced the cost of tax expenditures in the individual income tax and made them slightly less regressive. We estimate that ... continue reading

The Low-Skill Losers

| 30 April 2019
Monetary, Blog | Tags: Employment, Federal Reserve, Inequality, QE
The Fed is devoting increasing analytical – if not yet policy-maker – attention to the unequalizing impact of unconventional policy. It’s a start – a major problem besetting central banks in countries without a robust middle class – i.e., the U.S. – is that ... continue reading

The Digital Economy for Economic Development: Free Flow of Data and Supporting Policies

, , , , , , and | 27 April 2019
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Inclusiveness
The digital economy provides ample opportunities for G20 economies to accelerate inclusive economic growth. To take advantage of digital technology, free flow of data backed up by a series of policies to address other public policy objectives must be promoted. However, policies for the flow ... continue reading

Firm Heterogeneity in Services Trade: Micro-Level Evidence from Eight OECD Countries

, and | 18 April 2019
Trade, Research Papers | Tags: Services Trade
This paper shows that smaller and less productive firms, as well as first-time exporters are overproportionally affected by services trade barriers using micro-data from Belgium, Finland, Germany, Italy, Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States. ... continue reading

Fiscal Transparency: The Case of Tax Expenditures in Developing Countries

| 11 April 2019
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures
In recent years, more developing countries have started reporting on their tax expenditures, however the quality of reporting needs to improve if it is to usefully contribute to fiscal transparency and the debate on domestic revenue mobilization. ... continue reading

Services Trade for Sustainable, Balanced, and Inclusive Growth

, , , , , , , and | 3 April 2019
Trade, Policy Briefs | Tags: Digitalization, Economic Growth, Services Trade
Structural changes in the world economy have altered the way we think about the nexus between trade and growth. In particular, the rise of the services economy and the digital revolution have rocked the world of trade policy-making in ways that are not nearly sufficiently ... continue reading

Taxation in Aging Societies – Increasing the Effectiveness and Fairness of Pension Systems

, , , and | 27 March 2019
Fiscal, Policy Briefs | Tags: Inequality, Pensions, Tax Expenditures
Population aging is accelerating worldwide and has significant socio-economic implications, including a decline in the size of the labour force, an increase in the age-dependency ratio and a redistribution of income and wealth. Hence, the redesign of pension systems has become a priority. Taxation is ... continue reading

Civil Society Groups Across Latin America Are Starting to Question Tax Expenditures

and | 21 March 2019
Fiscal, Blog | Tags: Tax Expenditures
How governments raise the revenues they need to support public spending is a fundamental aspect of public finance. Despite this, taxation has been the focus of limited analysis and action by civil society groups around the world, especially in developing countries. But in recent years, ... continue reading