Does economics need a scientific revolution?

Economics does not need a scientific revolution. Economics needs accurate measurements according to high standards of natural sciences and meticulous work on revealing empirical relationships between measured variables.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure

Modelling the age-dependent personal income distribution in the USA

Numerical modelling of the age-dependent personal income distribution (PID) in the USA is fulfilled based on a micro- and macroeconomic model and results of the overall PID modelling. As expected from the age-dependent accuracy of the Current Population Surveys, the model has demonstrated an excellent prediction power in almost all income bins except the lowermost ones. Here we address the problem of the fine age structure of the PIDs. The age-dependent PIDs are modelled by using the same defining parameters as the overall PIDs. The predicted PIDs accurately describe the observed ones reproducing such complex features as the exponential PID decay in the youngest and oldest age groups. The evolution of the age-dependent PIDs in time is also accurately predicted. The difference in the PID levels in the youngest age group is explained by some shortcomings in the design of the enumeration procedure. Corresponding recommendations are given in order to improve the PID estimates.

DYNAMICS OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND INFLATION IN WESTERN EUROPE: SOLUTION BY THE 1- D BOUNDARY ELEMENTS METHOD

Using an analog of the boundary elements method in engineering and science, we analyze and model unemployment rate in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States as a function of inflation and the change in labor force. Originally, the model linking unemployment to inflation and labor force was developed and successfully tested for Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. Autoregressive properties of neither of these variables are used to predict their evolution. In this sense, the model is a self-consistent and completely deterministic one without any stochastic component (external shocks) except that associated with measurement errors and changes in measurement units. Nevertheless, the model explains between ~65% and ~95% of the variability in unemployment and inflation. For Italy, the rate of unemployment is predicted at a time horizon of nine (!) years with pseudo out-of-sample root-mean-square forecasting error of 0.55% for the period between 1973 and 2006. One can expect that the unemployment will be growing since 2008 and will reach ~11.4% [±0.6 %] near 2012. After 2012, unemployment in Italy will start to descend.unemployment, inflation, labor force, boundary integral method, prediction, Western Europe

Inflation, unemployment, labor force change in the USA

of personal income distribution normalized to the total nominal GDP. Inflation is found to be a mechanism, which counters changes in the relative incomes induced by economic growth and population changes - both in number and age structure. A model is developed linking the measured inflation (consumer price index or GDP deflator), unemployment and change in labor force. During the last twenty-five years, unemployment in the USA has been a lagged linear function of inflation. In turn, inflation has also been a lagged linear function of relative change in labor force with time. The lag is currently three years. Only a small decrease in labor force participation rate is currently observed in contrast to a strong increase between 1965 and 1990. According to the indicated relationship, the well-known stagflation period clearly resulted from the lag: the sharp increase in inflation coincided in time with the high unemployment induced by the high inflation period two years before. One can predict the unemployment rate in the USA in the following two years within the accuracy of inflation measurements. For example, the end of 2005 is a pivot point from a period of decreasing unemployment to one of moderate growth from 5% in 2005 to 6% in the middle of 2008. Starting in 1960, cumulative values of the observed and the model predicted unemployment are in agreement with the lag between inflation and unemployment. Inflation is defined by a lagged linear function of rate of change in labor force. The observed and predicted inflation almost coincide for the last forty years of annual measurement values, smoothed by a five-year wide moving window curves and as cumulative curves as well. Deviation of the curves before 1960 can be explained by a degraded accuracy of the measurements. A severe decrease in the rate of change of labor force is expected after 2010. This drop can potentially induce a long-term deflationary period. The same effect has been observed for Japan starting in 1990. There are numerous implications of the results for monetary and social policy-makers. The most important is an absence of any means to control inflation and economic growth except though a reasonable labor policy. In addition, some urgent measures are necessary to prevent the start of a deflationary period in 2010-2012.inflation, unemployment, labor force, USA, time series models

A model for microeconomic and macroeconomic development

A comprehensive study of the personal income distribution (PID) in the USA is carried out. Principal characteristics of the PID in USA are established. A microeconomic model of the personal income distribution and evolution with time is developed. The model balances two processes – individual income earning and dissipation of the income. The model accurately predicts the overall PID and its evolution and fine features of the PID in various age and income groups. The results obtained prove that the observed economic growth is a predetermined processpersonal income distribution, microeconomic modeling, real GDP, macroeconomics