NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2007, Volume 4

The International Seminar on Macroeconomics (ISoM) has met annually in Europe for thirty years. The papers included in the 2006 volume discuss the relationship between prices and productivity in the OECD; monetary policy impact on inflation and output; implications of rising government debt; the relationship between consumption and labor market tightness; variation in real wages over the business cycle; production sharing and business cycle synchronization in accession countries; and, pension systems and the allocation of macroeconomic risk.The 2007 papers discuss interest-setting and central bank transparency; expectations, monetary policy, and traded good prices; public investment and the golden rule; the role of institutions, confidence, and trusts in financial integration within EU countries; international portfolios with supply, demand, and redistributive shocks; transmission and stabilization in closed and open economies; capital flows and asset prices; and, welfare implications of financial globalization without financial development.