Ethnological approach of terrace farming

The vast distribution of terraces in the geographical Sudan zone of West Africa leads to the question why and under which conditions an agrarian society might apply this particular form of farming. From an anthropologist's point of view it is essential to understand why farmers practise this form of farming and therefore try to explain the reason for it. The best way to gain insight is the description of terrace farming and when taking a closer look, we realize that farming is nowhere only an isolated agricultural activity

Städtische Lebenswelten in Bewegung: In Afrika und darüber hinaus

Although throughout the history of anthropology the ethnography of urban societies was never an important topic, investigations on cities in Africa contributed to the early theoretical development of urban studies in social sciences. As the ethnography of rural migrants in towns made clear, cultural diversity and creativity are foundational and permanent elements of urban cultures in Africa (and beyond). Currently, two new aspects complement these insights: 1) Different forms of mobility have received a new awareness through the concept of transnationalism. They are much more complex, including not only rural–urban migration, but also urban–urban migration, and migrations with a destination beyond the continent. 2) Urban life-worlds also include the appropriation of globally circulating images and lifestyles, which contribute substantially to the current cultural dynamics of cities in Africa. These two aspects are the reasons for the high complexity of urban contexts in Africa. Therefore, whether it is still appropriate to speak about the “locality” of these life-worlds has become questionable. At the same time, these new aspects explain the self-consciousness of members of urban cultures in Africa. They contribute to the expansive character of these societies and to the impression that cities in Africa host the most innovative and creative societies worldwide.Auch wenn die Ethnographie städtischer Gesellschaften in der Geschichte der Ethnologie nie eine große Rolle gespielt hat, leisteten doch Untersuchungen zu urbanen Lebenswelten in Afrika einen wichtigen Beitrag zur frühen theoretischen Entwicklung sozialwissenschaftlicher Stadtforschung. Wie die Ethnographie von Migranten aus ländlichen Räumen in afrikanischen Städten schon damals deutlich machte, sind kulturelle Diversität und Kreativität grundlegende und dauerhafte Elemente urbaner Kultur in Afrika (und weltweit). In letzter Zeit haben zwei wichtige Aspekte diese frühen Einsichten ergänzt: 1) Verschiedene Formen der Mobilität haben durch das Konzept der Transnationalität neue Relevanz gewonnen. 2) Zu urbanen Lebenswelten gehört auch die aktive Aneignung global zirkulierender Bilder und Lebensstile; sie trägt wesentlich zur kulturellen Dynamik afrikanischer Städte bei. Beide Aspekte sind ursächlich für die außerordentliche Komplexität heutiger urbaner Lebenswelten in Afrika. Daher steht infrage, ob es noch angemessen ist, von der „Lokalität“ dieser Lebenswelten zu sprechen. Zugleich erklären diese Aspekte das Selbstbewusstsein der Angehörigen urbaner Gesellschaften in Afrika. Sie tragen zum expansiven Charakter dieser Gesellschaften bei sowie zu dem Eindruck, städtische Gesellschaften in Afrika gehörten zu den innovativsten und kreativsten weltweit

Should the Individual Voting Records of Central Bankers be Published?

We examine whether it is socially beneficial for the individual voting records of central bank council members to be published when the general public is unsure about central bankers' efficiency and central bankers are aiming for re-election. We show that publication is initially harmful since somewhat less efficient central bankers attempt to imitate highly efficient central bankers in their bid to get re-elected. After re-election, however, losses will be lower when voting records are published since the government is more easily able to distinguish highly efficient from less efficient central bankers and can make central bankers individually accountable. Nevertheless, the negative effects of voting transparency predominate and expected overall losses are always larger when voting records are published. -- Wir untersuchen, ob die Veröffentlichung über das individuelle Abstimmungsverhalten von Zentralbankratsmitgliedern gesamtwirtschaftlich nützlich ist, wenn in der Öffentlichkeit Unsicherheit über die Effizienz von Mitgliedern des Zentralbankrats besteht und sich diese um eine Wiederwahl bemühen. Wir weisen nach, dass eine Veröffentlichung zunächst Schaden anrichtet, weil etwas weniger effiziente Mitglieder des Zentralbankrats versuchen, hocheffiziente Zentralbankratsmitglieder in ihren Bemühungen um eine Wiederwahl nachzuahmen. Nach der Wiederwahl sind die Verluste aber geringer, wenn die Abstimmung veröffentlicht wird, weil die Regierung hocheffiziente von weniger effizienten Zentralbankratsmitgliedern leichter unterscheiden und sie einzeln zur Rechenschaft ziehen kann. Die negativen Auswirkungen einer Transparenz des Abstimmungsverhaltens überwiegen aber, und die Nachteile sind insgesamt immer größer, wenn die Abstimmung veröffentlicht wird.

Inflation Forecast Contracts

We introduce a new type of incentive contract for central bankers: inflation forecast contracts, which make central bankers’ remunerations contingent on the precision of their inflation forecasts. We show that such contracts enable central bankers to influence inflation expectations more effectively, thus facilitating more successful stabilization of current inflation. Inflation forecast contracts improve the accuracy of inflation forecasts, but have adverse consequences for output. On balance, paying central bankers according to their forecasting performance improves welfare.central banks, incentive contracts, transparency, inflation targeting, inflation forecast targeting, intermediate targets

Forward Guidance for Monetary Policy: Is It Desirable?

In this paper we assess whether forward guidance for monetary policy regarding the future path of interest rates is desirable. We distinguish between two cases where forward guidance for monetary policy may be helpful. First, forward guidance may reveal private information of the central bank. We argue that vague, non-binding statements may be desirable. Second, forward guidance may be used as a commitment device. In this case, policy forecasts may be desirable in a classic inflation-bias framework but not in a New Keynesian framework.central banks, transparency, commitment, Federal Reserve, policy inclinations, signaling

Modeling Two Macro Policy Instruments - Interest Rates and Aggregate Capital Requirements

We present a simple neoclassical model to explore how an aggregate bank-capital requirement can be used as a macroeconomic policy tool and how this additional tool interacts with monetary policy. Aggregate bank-capital requirements should be adjusted when the economy is hit by cost-push shocks but should not respond to demand shocks. Moreover, an optimal institutional structure is characterized as follows: First, monetary policy is delegated to an independent and conservative central banker. Second, setting aggregate bank-capital requirements is separated from monetary policy.central banks, banking regulation, capital requirements, optimal monetary policy

Voting Transparency and Conflicting Interests in Central Bank Councils

This paper examines whether it is socially desirable for the individual voting records of central bank council members to be published when central bankers' preferences differ. We show that the misrepresentation of their preferences is not advantageous for central bankers although central bankers take into account the fact that they might not be re-elected. Thus, the publication of voting records is beneficial since the government can distinguish central bankers in terms of their preferences and can align the central bank council's preferences with those of the general public over time by means of its re-election decisions. -- In diesem Papier wird untersucht, ob die Veröffentlichung über das individuelle Abstimmungsverhalten von Zentralbankratsmitgliedern sozial wünschenswert ist, wenn diese unterschiedliche Präferenzen haben. Wir zeigen, dass eine falsche Darstellung ihrer Präferenzen für die Mitglieder des Zentralbankrats nicht vorteilhaft ist, auch wenn die Zentralbankratsmitglieder berücksichtigen, dass sie vielleicht nicht wiedergewählt werden. Die Veröffentlichung der Abstimmung ist somit nützlich, weil die Regierung die unterschiedlichen Präferenzen der Zentralbankratsmitglieder im Lauf der Zeit mit denen der Öffentlichkeit durch entsprechende Entscheidungen in Bezug auf die Wiederwahl von Zentralbankratsmitgliedern in Einklang bringen kann.

Banking-on-the-Average Rules

In this paper, we argue for a regulatory framework under which a bank’s required level of equity capital depends on the equity capital of its peers. Such bankingon- the-average rules are transparent and could also be combined with the current regulatory framework. In addition, we argue that banking-on-the-average rules ensure the build-up of bank equity capitals in booms and thus avoid excessive leverage. Prudent banks can impose prudency on other banks. In a simple model of a banking system, we show that a banking-on-the-average framework can deliver the socially optimal solution because it induces banks to abstain from gambling. Moreover, it alleviates socially harmful consequences of conventional equity-capital rules, which may induce banks to excessively cut back on lending or liquidate desirable long-term investment projects in downturns.banking on the average, equity-capital requirements, banking system, banking crisis

Constitutional Design: Separation of Financing and Project Decision

We examine the provision of public projects under separate tax and subsidy rules. We find that tax rules separated from project cum subsidy decisions exhibit several advantages when incentive problems of the agenda-setter are taken into account. In particular, tax rules may prevent the proposal of inefficient projects which benefit only a small lobby group. We propose “redistribution efficiency” as a socially desirable property of proposals and find that tax rules always guarantee redistribution efficiency. We show that rules on subsidies combined with discretion regarding taxes always yield socially inferior proposals. Finally, tax rules induce the agenda-setter to look for potential improvements of public projects.constitutional design, provision of public projects, voting, taxes and subsidies

Archaeology and ethnology: what are the common foundations?

Fraglos gibt es viele wichtige gemeinsame Grundlagen in Archäologie und Ethnologie. Der folgende Beitrag geht der Frage nach, welchen Gemeinsamkeiten welcher Erklärungswert zukommt und wie sie für zukünftige Forschung nutzbar gemacht werden könnten.Anthropology and archaeology have much more in common than might be expected from a rapid look at current research and teaching practices. In particular, they share common foundations in the concept of culture, stemming from the first half of the 19th century. At that time, and in contrast to the usage of the notion in later times, culture was predominantly thought of as a universal: all humans are characterized by the fact of having culture. Only after 1850 was the idea of distinctiveness through cultures promoted by the idea, among others, of the evolution of societies. After 1850 systematic empirical methods were established in both anthropology and archaeology, and the concept of culture as a container was thereby operationalized. Cultures were thought of as distinctive and autonomous units that should be investigated separately. However, with the emergence of globalization, the concept of culture has changed again. Connections between cultures and societies have been pushed into the foreground of research. It is not by accident that both archaeology and anthropology have experienced a real boom during these years. Their roots give them reason to claim to be experts in worldwide and universal connections as well as in the diversity of cultures. The current challenge is whether both disciplines will find a way to make the shared potential explicit and design new research paradigms with reference to it