Characterizing the Optimal Composition of Government Expenditures

This paper extends the neoclassical growth model with productive public capital by including an infrastructure efficiency index, which is assumed to depend on a public choice variable, in particular, the share of public spending allocated to productive public consumption. A golden rule for the allocation of public expenditure between productive consumption and investment is specified. Under this framework, the observed path for the stock of infrastructures and the proposed efficiency index in the US economy during the last fifty years have been close to optimal: a lower stock of infrastructures has been accumulated, but it has been used more efficiently.Public Expenditure Composition, Public Investment, Public Consumption, Nominal and Effective Infrastructures, Infrastructures Efficiency Index

Characterizing the Optimal Composition of Government Expenditures

This paper extends the neoclassical growth model with productive public capital by including an infrastructure efficiency index, which is assumed to depend on a public choice variable, in particular, the share of public spending allocated to productive public consumption. A golden rule for the allocation of public expenditure between productive consumption and investment is specified. Under this framework, the observed path for the stock of infrastructures and the proposed efficiency index in the US economy during the last fifty years have been close to optimal: a lower stock of infrastructures has been accumulated, but it has been used more efficiently.Este artículo extiende el modelo neoclásico de crecimiento con capital público productivo mediante la incorporación de un índice de eficiencia de las infraestructuras. Este índice se supone dependiente de una variable de elección del gobierno, en concreto, el porcentaje del gasto público destinado a consumo público productivo. Se propone una regla de oro para la distribución del gasto público entre consumo productivo e inversión. Bajo este contexto, las sendas temporales observadas en los últimos cincuenta años en la economía estadounidense para el stock de infraestructuras y el índice de eficiencia propuesto han sido cercanas a las sendas óptimas:se ha acumulado un menor stock de infraestructuras, pero también se ha utilizado de forma más eficiente.Neoclassical growth model, Public spending.

Estimating US persistent and transitory monetary shocks: implications for monetary policy

This paper proposes an estimation method for persistent and transitory monetary shocks using the monetary policy modeling proposed in Andolfatto et al, [Journal of Monetary Economics, 55 (2008), pp.: 406-422]. The contribution of the paper is threefold: a) to deal with non-Gaussian innovations, we consider a convenient reformulation of the state-space representation that enables us to use the Kalman filter as an optimal estimation algorithm. Now the state equation allows expectations play a significant role in explaining the future time evolution of monetary shocks; b) it offers the possibility to perform maximum likelihood estimation for all the parameters involved in the monetary policy, and c) as a consequence, we can estimate the conditional probability that a regime change has occurred in the current period given an observed monetary shock. Empirical evidence on US monetary policy making is provided through the lens of a Taylor rule, suggesting that the Fed’s policy was implemented accordingly with the macroeconomic conditions after the Great Moderation. The use of the particle filter produces similar quantitative and qualitative findings. However, our procedure has much less computational cost.Kalman filter, Non-normality, Particle filter, Monetary policy

Environmental fiscal policies might be ineffective to control pollution

In a one sector growth model with pollution in the utility function, the competitive equilibrium can be indeterminate for plausible values of the intertemporal substitution elasticity of consumption and under constant returns to scale. The tax rate on pollution does not enter the condition characterizing indeterminacy. This means that the government is not able to control emissions in the economy by using environmental policies. Non-separability between private consumption and pollution in the utility function is crucial for this result.Indeterminacy, Environmental taxes, Pollution

Tax Reforms in an Endogenous Growth Model with Pollution

This paper discusses the effects of a green tax reform in an AK growth model without abatement activities and with a negative environmental externality in utility function. There is also a non-optimal level of public spending. The results depend on the financing source of public spending. When there is not public debt, a revenue-neutral green tax reform has not any effect on pollution, growth and welfare. On the contrary, when short-run deficits are financed by debt issuing, a variety of green tax reforms increase welfare. Nevertheless, in this framework, non-green tax reforms are also welfare improving.Environmental externalities, Economic growth, Pollution taxes, Laffer Curve.

Double Dividend in an Endogenous Growth Model with Pollution and Abatement

This paper discusses wether by implementing an environmental tax reform, a government may achieve a double dividend. We consider the simplest endogenous growth model (AK model) and include a negative environmental externality in the utility function. Pollution flow can be reduced by means of private abatenment activities. There is a predetermined non-optimal level of public spending financed by environmental taxes and pre-existing taxes on income and consumption. The major contribution of the paper is to show that, under this simple framework, a double dividend may arise if tax reform consists of substituing environmental tax for income tax, in such a way that the government budget constraint holds in a present value sense.Environmental tax reform, Double dividend, Abatement activities.

Acciones educativas para la prevención de la violencia de género

En el presente trabajo se presentan un conjunto de acciones educativas dirigidas a prevenir la violencia de género. La intervención educativa va dirigida a la población escolar comprendida entre los tres y los dieciséis años, así como a los miembros de la comunidad educativa que más incidencia tienen en la educación. El objetivo general que se persigue es desarrollar el nivel de competencias del alumnado para el desarrollo de su autonomía personal, para el reconocimiento de la riqueza que aporta la diversidad de género, para la comprensión y la afirmación de la igualdad efectiva en derechos de mujeres y hombres así como para la solución o gestión eficaz de los conflictos por razón de género. Las acciones educativas se presentan estructuradas en forma de Plan de acción que abarca grandes áreas de intervención: alumnado, profesorado, equipos directivos, responsables de las políticas educativas y familias. Para cada ámbito de intervención se establecen unas metas estratégicas que a su vez se concretan en propuestas de acción. La redacción del Plan fue encargada por la Conselleria de Educación de la Generalitat Valenciana, a través de la Fundación Tolerancia Cero, a un equipo de profesoras y profesores de la Universidad de Valencia, y gran parte de las propuestas que encierra se están llevando a cabo en los centros escolares de la Comunidad Valenciana

Un modelo de Uso Eficiente de las Infraestructuras Públicas

This paper designs a general equilibrium model with a public sector which builds up public infrastructure. Public consumption expenditure is necessary for an efficient use of public physical capital, so there exists a productive effect for such type of public spending. The normative results derived from this framework are then confronted to the standard non-productive public consumption model. Under the assumption of efficient public consumption, the percentage of total public expenditure that must be allocated to consumption is strictly positive. This optimal percentage is obtained from the equilibrium between two opposite effects led by public consumption on public physical capital: a positive efficiency effect and a negative crowding-out effect.En este artículo se formula un modelo teórico de equilibrio general con un sector público que acumula infraestructuras, en el que se incorpora un papel productivo para cierto consumo público que contribuye a un uso eficiente del capital público físico. Este modelo, de Uso Eficiente de las Infraestructuras, permite obtener conclusiones radicalmente distintas a las del modelo estándar de consumo público no productivo: bajo la hipótesis de consumo público eficiente, el Ratio de Composición del Gasto Público óptimo (la proporción de gasto público que debe destinarse a consumo) es estrictamente positiva. Este Ratio de Composición óptimo viene determinado por el equilibrio entre dos tipos de efectos que genera el consumo público sobre las infraestructuras nominativas: un efecto eficiencia positivo y un efecto desplazamiento negativo.

Global and local indeterminacy and optimal environmental public policies in an economy with public abatement activities

We study the dynamic properties of an endogenous growth model with pollution in which the government can control the pollution through distorting taxes on the pollutant firms and through public abatement activities. First, we characterize the conditions for indeterminacy of equilibria when the government is benevolent and chooses its tax policy by taking into account the decentralized competitive equilibrium. Under this second best setup we show that two balanced growth paths can be found (one with a low level of pollution and the other with a high level) both of which can be locally indeterminate. Therefore, under indeterminacy, the optimal public policies do not guarantee that the economy will converge towards the steady state characterized by a low level of pollution and neither guarantee that the economy will display, along the transition, low levels of pollution. Second, we show that the central planner solution might also display indeterminacy; in particular, two Pigouvian taxes can be found.Global and local indeterminacy, Environmental taxes, Pollution, Abatement, Pigouvian taxes

Monetary policy regimes and the forward bias for foreign exchange

This paper provides a theoretical discussion of the forward premium anomaly. We reformulate the well-known Lucas (1982) model by allowing for the existence of monetary policy regimes. The monetary supply is viewed as having two stochastic components: a) a persistent component that reflects the preferences of the central bank regarding the long-run money supply or inflation target, and b) a transitory component that represents short-lived interventions. To generate agents forecasts, we consider two scenarios: a) consumers can distinguish the permanent and the transitory components of the money supply, and b) consumers can observe only historical series of the aggregate monetary supply and face a signal-extraction problem. We simulate the model from a carefully estimation for the parameters involved in the model. Numerical simulations reveal that, under complete information, forward unbiasedness cannot be rejected at conventionally significant levels. However, when learning about monetary policy is incorporated, the forward bias can be reproduced without artificially assuming an unreasonable degree of risk aversion