A Scholar in Action in Interwar America. John H. Williams’ contributions to trade theory and international monetary reform

In this paper we analyse the scientific contributions of Harvard economist John H. Williams as international trade theorist and monetary reformer, together with his activities as a Vice President of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. In the first two Sections we present a succinct overview of Williams’ main contributions to international trade theory and to the interwar debate on the reform of the international monetary system. Particular attention will be devoted to his early academic writings which contained different critical arguments against the two main tenets of classical international economics: the Ricardian theory of comparative advantages and the gold standard. These criticisms formed the theoretical rationale and the analytical background of Williams’ key currency approach to the reform of the international monetary system. The key currency plan was first formulated when Williams advised Roosevelt and Morghenthau to sign a Tripartite agreement with Britain and France, and was later refined during the negotiations which concluded with the approval of the Bretton Woods agreements. In this respect, Section 4 is devoted to the analysis of the contents of Williams’ proposal and to the reconstruction of his main criticisms of the two official plans presented by John Maynard Keynes and Harry Dexter White. Section 5 is devoted to examining Keynes’ and White’s reactions and to elucidating what aspects of Williams’ ideas managed to influence the shaping of the Bretton Woods Agreements. Finally, Section 6 presents some general conclusions. Sections 4 and 5 have greatly benefited from the use of archival sources which have been quoted at length, mostly in the footnotesJohn H. Williams; John Maynard Keynes; Harry D. White; Bretton Woods Agreements; Key currency; gold standard; economists in Government

New non-peptidic inhibitors of â secretase as potential anti-alzheimer agents

The studies were carried out in collaboration with Siena Biotech and involve the identification of novel small molecules with potential of modulating diseases. On the basis of well known patented compounds we focused our attention on the synthesis of : 4-aminopiperidine derivatives, tetraline derivatives and carbazole derivatives

Harvard meets the crisis: U.S. fiscal policy in the 1930s and the political economy of Lauchlin B. Currie, Jacob Viner, John H. Williams and Harry D. White

The paper aims to describe the contribution of four Harvard economists to the interpretation of the Great Depression and the policy decision making from 1933 to 1938. Lauchlin B. Currie, Jacob Viner, John H. Williams, Harry D. White, eminent scholars in the field of monetary and international economics, were deeply involved in policy decisions during the New Deal. In our synoptic analysis we will benefit from extensive scholarly work that has been provided in the last few years. We shall examine the extensive biographical connection between Currie, Viner, White and Williams with special regard to their common training at Harvard. Then we shall compare their interpretations of the causes of crisis and their proposals in fiscal, monetary and banking policy. Finally, we shall describe their advisory activity in the Roosevelt administration and try to assess their influence.Great Depression; Monetary Theory; Monetary Policy; Fiscal Policy, Keynesism

The Taylor rule and the practice of central banking

The Taylor rule has revolutionized the way many policymakers at central banks think about monetary policy. It has framed policy actions as a systematic response to incoming information about economic conditions, as opposed to a period-by-period optimization problem. It has emphasized the importance of adjusting policy rates more than one-for-one in response to an increase in inflation. And, various versions of the Taylor rule have been incorporated into macroeconomic models that are used at central banks to understand and forecast the economy. ; This paper examines how the Taylor rule is used as an input in monetary policy deliberations and decision-making at central banks. The paper characterizes the policy environment at the time of the development of the Taylor rule and describes how and why the Taylor rule became integrated into policy discussions and, in some cases, the policy framework itself. Speeches by policymakers and transcripts and minutes of policy meetings are examined to explore the practical uses of the Taylor rule by central bankers. While many issues remain unresolved and views still differ about how the Taylor rule can best be applied in practice, the paper shows that the rule has advanced the practice of central banking.

The Taylor rule and the transformation of monetary policy

This paper examines the intellectual history of the Taylor Rule and its considerable influence on macroeconomic research and monetary policy. The paper traces the historical antecedents to the Taylor rule, emphasizing the contributions of three prominent advocates of rules--Henry Simons, A.W. H. Phillips, and Milton Friedman. The paper then examines the evolution of John Taylor's thinking as an academic and policy advisor leading up to his formulation of the Taylor rule. Finally, the paper documents the influence of the Taylor rule on macroeconomic research and the Federal Reserve's conduct of monetary policy.Taylor's rule ; Taylor, John B. ; Simons, Henry ; Phillips, A.W.H. ; Friedman, Milton ; Monetary policy

Los estudiantes universitarios de profesorados y la formación profesional : entre el oficio docente y el empleo estable

Las instituciones de formación docente, en Argentina, incorporan aspirantes de distintos sectores sociales. En el caso particular de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, una parte importante de los estudiantes, de los profesorados que allí se dictan, tienen como característica particular que además de estudiar trabajan para solventarse los costos de estudiar una carrera universitaria. Según las bases de datos de la institución, el alumno que cursa dichos profesorados procede mayoritariamente de sectores sociales medios-bajos y populares; por lo que la opción predominante es que para poder estudiar tienen que trabajar, pues sus familias no pueden ayudarlos a pagar sus estudios. El presente trabajo comparte un conjunto preliminar de reflexiones que se desprenden del análisis de datos cuantitativos provenientes de fuentes secundarias (Sistema SIU Guaraní, UNCuyo) y cualitativos (entrevistas) acerca de la situación laboral actual de los estudiantes que se encuentran cursando tercero y cuarto año de los profesorados de la Facultad de Educación de la Universidad de Cuyo y que trabajan y estudian, como así también la relación de dichos empleos con la formación docente que reciben, pues una parte de estos alumnos ya están realizando tareas relacionadas con la docencia inicial, primaria o de profesorados terapéuticos.Fil: Asso, Jorge. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo. Facultad de Educación Elemental y Especial

Nuevas especies del genero Amphelictogon (Diplopoda: Polydesmida: Chelodesmidae) en Cuba

Se describen 5 especies nuevas del generoAmphelictogon para la isla de Cuba, estas son: A. turquinensis,A. blairi, A. loomisi, A. estebani, y A. albertoi. Se presentan los principales caracteres utilizados para la diferenciaci6n de las especies, asi como una clave taxon6mica. Se realizan comentarios sobre la ecologia y biogeografia de este grupo en la isla.Five new species ofthe genus Amphelictogon (A. turquinensis,A. blairi,A.loomisi,A. estebani, and A. albertoil are described for Cuba. A taxonomic key and some comments on the ecology and biogeography of the genus in Cuba are given

The genus \u3ci\u3eNesobolus \u3c/i\u3e (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Rhinocricidae) in Cuba

A preliminary revision of the genus Nesobolus Chamberlin, 1918, results in three new species for eastern Cuba:- N. similis, N. piedra, and N. cuba. Nesobolusyaterus Chamberlin 1922, and Nesobolus libanonus Chamberlin, 1922, are referred to in the synonymy of Nesobolus toroanus Chamberlin, 1918

EI genero Cubobolus (Diplopoda: Spirobolida: Rhinocricidae) en Cuba

Se rivalida el genero Cubobolus Chamberlin (1918) para Cuba; en el se incluyen algunas especies ubicadas anteriormente en Rhinocricus Karsch (1881) y Anadenobolus Silvestri (1897): Cubobolus sagittatus (Loomis 1938), Cubobolus pertenuis (Loomis 1938), Cubobolus sinuosus (Loomis 1938), y Cubobolus perplicatus (Loomis 1938). Se describen ademas seis nuevas especies: Cubobolus potrerillo, C. escambray, C. dentatus, C.jibacoa, C. monitongo, y C. cuba. Se comenta la exclusion, hasta el momento, de representantes del genero Anadenobolus en la isla de Cuba.The genus Cubobolus Chamberlin (1918) is revalidated for Cuba. Six new species (Cubobolus potrerillo, C. escambray, C. dentatus, C. jibacoa, C. monitongo, and C. cuba) are described. Some species, previously in Rhinocricus Karsh (1881) and Anadenobolus Silvestri (1897), are assigned to Cubobolus: C. sagittatus (Loomis 1938), C. sinuosus (Loomis 1938), and C. perplicatus (Loomis, 1938). Anadenobolus is excluded from Cuba

Strategies to innovate in SMEs: analyzing the key factors of internationalization and interaction in Basque and Sicilian firms

The increasing openness of economies and the phenomenon of globalization has led to know-how and innovation becoming the key factors for business in terms of competitiveness. Thus, the fact that the activities and services are increasingly innovative means that the construction of innovation is channeled through the social sphere, attributing an increasingly important and critical role to the field of local development. For this motive, in recent years, economic literature has focused its attention at the regional and local level. The liberalization of transport and the development of the information technologies have enabled traditional production factors, such as the availability of natural resources, low labor and capital costs, ceasing to be a real competitive advantage for territories. The economy begins to distance from market factors such as contractual relations becoming more relational and especially focusing attention on geographical context conditions capable of promoting interaction between individual and collective subjects. The knowledge of workers becomes, within firms, the raw material from which the company can get innovative products and services. The exchange of knowledge and experiences between firms and within firms together with a high level of interaction among the agents, that constitute the social and economic environment of a region, becomes a source of competitive advantage and represent a key strategy for the generation of innovation at the firm levels. Internationalization and interaction for SMEs represent action strategies in an increasingly complex environment where territory plays a key role. The geographical areas with all their knowledge and experiences present in their context are the source of tacit knowledge that determines the competitive advantage of the new millennium. In this paper we analyze the predictors of innovation generation in SMEs, demonstrating the relevance of internationalization and cooperation strategies in Basque and Sicilian firms comparing the two experiences. SMEs constitute the majority productive Basque and Sicilian territorial reality and their impact on the local economy is crucial for the development of the two regions