ReDIF

This document describes current version of the Research Documents Information Format (ReDIF). This is a simple "field: value" data format inspired from the IAFA templates. A primitive nesting stucture syntax is enabled through the use of clusters of fields. ReDIF is currently used by RePEc.

RePEc and Socionet as partners in a changing digital library environment, 1997 to 2004 and beyond

This paper examines the theoretical foundation and practical development of the the RePEc and Socionet.ru digital libraries. RePEc is a UK-founded but internationally operating digital library for the economics discipline. Socionet is a Russia-based, but multi-disciplinary digital library for the wider social sciences. In 1997, Socionet copied the business model of RePEc and much of its technical infrastructure. As the Socionet library has matured, it has diverged from the RePEc model. Currently it emerges as a model and platform to build the Russian national level scientific and educational digital information space

RePEc and S-WoPEc: Internet access to electronic preprints in Economics

The first electronic Economics preprint appeared in 1993. Since then the growth has been dramatic as the use of the World Wide Web has exploded. RePEc has been instrumental in facilitating access to Economics preprints and in bringing order to the chaos that the WWW frequently represents. In a related effort S-WoPEc provides user friendly tools for adding data to the RePEc system. While this is significant in itself it has also been instrumental in fulfilling S-WoPEc's second goal--to provide increased exposure to Swedish Economics research

Growth, Debt and Public Infrastructure

The paper presents a closed economy model of endogenous growth driven by capital externalities arising from both private capital and public infrastructure. The model is calibrated to fit data for India, an approxmiately closed economy. Simulations suggest that fiscal policy certainly matters and the choice of the income taxation rate, the mix of government spending between infrastructure and public consumption goods, and the long-run government debt/GDP ratio can all significantly affect the long-run growth rate. Intertemporal aspects of fiscal policy are also important and the precommitment and non-precommitment policies differ substantially.endogenous growth, fiscal policy, time inconsistency.

Opening remarks

Brief overview and background of the First Workshop on Eprints in Library and Information Science

On-line distribution of working papers through NEP: A Brief Business History

This brief article tells of the emergence and development of a service for speedy, on-line distribution of recent additions to the broad literatures on economics and related areas called NEP: New Economics Papers. This service is part of a wider project called RePEc. RePEc is a digital library for the Economics discipline. Details are also provided on how to make individual and institutional contributions.NEP, current awareness service, RePEc, WoPEc

Web & lib 2: a sceptic’s view

“C’EST L’HOMME QUE JE SUIS QUI ME REND MISANTHROPE”, noted Jules Renard. Yes, I don’t care much for the concepts of Web 2.0 and Library 2.0 and other buzz words a la mode. Call me a dinosaur, but I don’t blog and don’t read blogs. But even cynics have to admit that the Internet continues to transform information services like nothing ever before. Some innovations will stay, others will be gone in a few years

Fiscal and Monetary Policy in a Monetary Union: Credible Inflation Targets or Monetised Debt?

The paper examines the interrelationship between fiscal and monetary policy in a two-country monetary union. The worst scenario occurs when an independent central bank (CB sets the nominal interest rate and responds to rising government debt/GDP ratios by monetisation. The result is high inflation, high debt/GDP ratios and a large public sector. Government debt and inflation are contained if the governments bear sole responsibility for solvency, but the public sector remains excessively large. The best scenario occurs if the CB removes the incentive for the governments to engineer surprise inflation by credible inflation targeting.monetary union, fiscal policy coordination, monetary and fiscal policy interdependence, reputation.

Author Identification in Economics, ... and Beyond

Identifying authorship correctly and efficiently is a difficult problem when the literature is abundant, but poorly recorded. Homonyms are tedious to differentiate. This paper describes how the field of economics has organized itself with respect to author identification. We describe the RePEc project with a special emphasis on the RePEc Author Service. We then discuss how the concept is currently being expanded to the entire scientific body with the AuthorClaim project

Growing at Different Rates

We examine a two country world. We endow each of the countries with externalities from both private and public capital that enable endogenous growth. We show conditions under which an equilibrium exists where both economies grow at constant but different rates.