Jeremy Greenwood
Research



Jeremy Greenwood, Juan M. Sanchez and Cheng Wang (2010), "Quantifying
the Impact of
Financial Development on Economic Development," Economie d’avant garde,
Research Report No. 17, University of Pennsylvania.
Abstract and Paper
Keywords: costly-state verification, economic
development, financial intermediation, firm-size distribution, interest-rate
spreads, cross-country output differences, cross-country TFP differences
Jesús Fernández-Villaverde, Jeremy Greenwood, and Nezih Guner (2010),
"From Shame to Game in One Hundred Years: An Economic Model of the Rise in
Premarital Sex and its De-Stigmatization," Economie d’avant garde,
Research Report No. 16, University of Pennsylvania.
Abstract and Paper
Video Summary (3:15 minutes)
Discussion
in Freakonomics Blog,The New York Times
Discussion in Vox
Keywords: contraception, culture, premarital sex, socialization,
stigma, technological progress
Jeremy Greenwood and Karen A. Kopecky (2010, revised), "Measuring the
Welfare Gain from Personal Computers," Economie d’avant garde, Research
Report No. 15, University of Pennsylvania.
Abstract and Paper
Discussion in Vox
Keywords: computers, technological progress, welfare gain.
Jeremy Greenwood, Juan M. Sanchez and Cheng Wang (2009, revised),
"Financing Development: The Role of Information Costs," American Economic Review, forthcoming,
2010.
Abstract and Paper (with
appendix)
Keywords: financial intermediation, economic development,
costly-state verification, firm-size distribution.
Jeremy Greenwood and Nezih Guner (2009, revised), "Social Change: The
Sexual Revolution," International
Economic Review, forthcoming.
Abstract and Paper
Data;
Kiel University Conference on Income Distribution and the Family--Keynote
Speech
Keywords: Social change; the sexual revolution; technological
progress in contraceptives, bilateral search.
Jeremy Greenwood and Nezih Guner (2009),
"Marriage and Divorce since World War II: Analyzing the Role of
Technological Progress on the Formation of Households," NBER Macroeconomics Annual 2008, v. 23,
edited by Daron Acemoglu, Kenneth Rogoff and Michael Woodford (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press), 231-276.
Abstract and Paper
Data;
Midwest Macro Meetings--Plenary Address; Research Report--Extended Version
Discussion
in BusinessWeek online
Keywords: Marriage, divorce, hours worked, household production,
household size, technological progress.
Erratum: Eq. 9 – Lefthand side should read d(um-us)/dp.
Jeremy Greenwood and Guillaume Vandenbroucke (2008), "Hours Worked
(Long-Run Trends)." The New Palgrave
Dictionary of Economics, v. 4, 2nd edition, edited by Lawrence E. Blume and Steven N. Durlauf (New York, N.Y.:
Palgrave Macmillan), 75-81.
Abstract and Paper
Data
Keywords: Hours worked, leisure, housework,
household production, Edgeworth-Pareto complementarity/substitutability,
technological progress.
Jeremy Greenwood and Per Krusell (May 2007), "Growth Accounting with
Investment-Specific Technological Progress: A Discussion of Two
Approaches," Journal of Monetary Economics, v. 54, n. 4: 1300-1310.
Paper
Keywords: Investment-specific technological progress, capital
embodiment, growth accounting.
Jeremy Greenwood and Gokce Uysal (June 2005), "New Goods and the
Transition to a New Economy," Journal of Economic Growth, v. 10, n.
2: 99-134.
Abstract and Paper
Keywords: New goods, structural change, technological progress,
welfare indices.
Jeremy Greenwood and Ananth Seshadri (2005), "Technological Progress
and Economic Transformation," in the Handbook of Economic Growth, v. 1B, edited by Philippe Aghion
and Steven N. Durlauf. Amsterdam:
Elsevier North-Holland, 1225-1273.
Abstract and Paper
SED
Meetings--Plenary Address
Keywords: Child Labor, Economic Growth, Educational Attainment,
Female Labor-Force Participation, Fertility, Household Production Theory,
Technological Progress.
Jeremy Greenwood, Ananth Seshadri and Guillaume Vandenbroucke (March 2005),
"The Baby Boom and Baby Bust," American
Economic Review, v. 95, n. 1: 183-207.
Abstract and Paper
The
Baby Boom and Baby Bust in OECD Countries: Data and Graphs; Lecture Notes
Discussion in Deutsche
Bank Research
Keywords: Baby boom, baby bust, household production, technological
progress.
Jeremy Greenwood, Ananth Seshadri and Mehmet Yorukoglu (January 2005),
"Engines of Liberation," Review of Economic Studies, v. 72, n.
1: 109-133.
Abstract and Paper
Engines of
Liberation: Additional Notes
Data--Basic
Facilities and Appliances; Lecture Notes
Discussion
in The Regional Economist
Discussion in The Wall Street Journal
Discussion
in Slate Magazine
Discussion
in The Times of India
Keywords: female labor-force participation, household production
theory, the second industrial revolution, technology adoption.
Jeremy Greenwood, Nezih Guner and John Knowles (August 2003), "More on
Marriage, Fertility, and the Distribution of Income," International
Economic Review, v. 44, n. 3: 827-862.
According to Pareto (1896), the distribution of income depends on ``the
nature of the people comprising a society, on the organization of the latter,
and, also, in part, on chance.'' In the model developed here the ``nature of
the people'' is captured by attitudes toward marriage, divorce, fertility, and
children. Singles search for mates in a marriage market. Married agents bargain
about work, and the quantity and quality of children. They can divorce. Social
policies, such as child support requirements, reflect the ``organization of the
(society).'' Finally, ``chance'' is modelled by randomness in income, marriage
opportunities, and marital bliss.
Paper
Keywords: Fertility; marriage and divorce; Nash bargaining; income
distribution; public policy
Jeremy Greenwood and Ananth Seshadri (May 2002), "The U.S.
Demographic Transition," American Economic Review (Papers and
Proceedings) v. 92, n. 2: 153-159.
Between 1800 and 1940 the U.S. went through a dramatic
demographic transition. In 1800 the average woman had 7 children, and 94
percent of the population lived in rural areas. By 1940 the average woman
birthed just 2 kids, and only 43 percent of populace lived in the country. The
question is: What accounted for this shift in the demographic landscape? The
answer given here is that technological progress in agriculture and
manufacturing explains these facts.
Paper
Lecture
Notes
Keywords: Fertility, technological progress, agriculture,
manufacturing.
JEL Classification Nos: E1, J1, O3.
S. Rao Aiyagari, Jeremy Greenwood, and Ananth Seshadri (February 2002),
"Efficient Investment in Children," Journal of Economic Theory, v. 102, n. 2: 290-321.
Many would say that children are society's most precious resource. So, how
should we invest in them? To gain insight into this question, a dynamic general
equilibrium model is developed where children differ by ability. Parents invest
time and money in their offspring, depending on their altruism. This allows
their children to grow up as more productive adults. First, the efficient
allocation is characterized. Next, this is compared with the outcome that
arises when financial markets are incomplete. The situation where child-care
markets are also lacking is then examined. Additionally, the consequences of
impure altruism are analyzed.
Paper
Keywords: Investment in children; efficiency; imperfect financial
markets; impure altruism; lack of child-care markets.
JEL Classifications: D1, D31, D58, I2
Erratum: Eq. 34 – Put a θ in front of the V.
Joao Gomes, Jeremy Greenwood, and Sergio Rebelo (August 2001),
"Equilibrium Unemployment," Journal of Monetary Economics, v.
48, n. 1: 109-152.
A search-theoretic model of equilibrium unemployment is constructed and
shown to be consistent with the key regularities of the labor market and
business cycle. The two distinguishing features of the model are: (i) the
decision to accept or reject jobs is modeled explicitly, and (ii) markets are incomplete.
The model is well suited to address a number of interesting policy questions.
Two such applications are provided: the impact of unemployment insurance, and
the welfare costs of business cycles.
Paper
Keywords: Search; Incomplete Markets; Business Cycles; Unemployment
Insurance; Welfare Costs of Business Cycles.
JEL Classifications: E24, E32
Jeremy Greenwood and Boyan Jovanovic (2001), "Accounting for
Growth," in New Developments in Productivity Analysis, edited by
Charles R. Hulten, Edwin R. Dean and Michael J. Harper. Chicago: University
of Chicago Press
(for NBER), 179-222.
A satisfactory account of the postwar growth experience of the United States
should be able to come to terms with the following three facts:
- Since the early 1970's there
has been a slump in the advance of productivity.
- The price of new equipment
has fallen steadily over the postwar period.
- Since the mid-1970's the
skill premium has risen.
Variants of Solow's (1960) vintage-capital model can go a long way toward
explaining these facts, as this paper shows. In brief, the explanations are:
- Productivity slowed down
because the implementation of information technologies was both costly and
slow.
- Technological advance in the
capital goods sector has lead to a decline in equipment prices.
- The skill premium rose
because the new, more efficient capital is complementary with skilled
labor and/or because the use of skilled labor facilitates the adoption of
new technologies.
Paper
Keywords: Investment-specific technological progress, vintage-capital
models, learning by doing, diffusion lags.
JEL Classifications: O3, O4
Jeremy Greenwood, Nezih Guner and John Knowles (May 2000), "Woman on
Welfare: A Macroeconomic Analysis," American Economic Review (Papers
and Proceedings), v. 92, n. 2: 383-388.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood, Zvi Hercowitz and Per Krusell (January 2000), "The
Role of Investment-Specific Technological Change in the Business Cycle," European
Economic Review, v. 44, n. 1: 91-115.
This is a quantitative investigation of
the importance of technological change specific to new investment goods for
postwar U.S.
aggregate fluctuations. A growth model that incorporates this form of
technological change is calibrated to U.S. data and simulated, using the
relative price of new equipment to identify the process driving investment-specific
technology shocks. The analysis suggests that this form of technological change
is the source of about 30 percent of output fluctuations.
Paper
Keywords: Investment-Specific Technological Change;
Business Cycles
JEL Classification: E3, O3, O4
S. Rao Aiyagari, Jeremy Greenwood and
Nezih Guner (April 2000), "On the State of the Union,"
Journal of Political Economy, v. 108, n. 2: 213-244.
An overlapping generations model of
marriage and divorce is constructed to analyze family structure and
intergenerational mobility. Agents differ by sex, marital status, and human
capital. Single agents meet in a marriage market and decide whether to accept
or reject proposals to wed. Married couples must decide whether to separate or
not. Parents invest in their children depending on their wherewithal. A
simulated version of the theoretical prototype can generate an equilibrium with
a significant number of female-headed families and a high degree of persistence
in income across generations. To illustrate the model's mechanics, the effects
of two anti-poverty policies, namely child support and welfare, are
investigated.
Paper
Historical
Discussion
Keywords: Intergenerational Mobility; Marriage and
Divorce; Children; Public Policy
Jeremy Greenwood and Boyan Jovanovic
(May 1999), "The IT Revolution and the Stock Market," American
Economic Review (Papers and Proceedings) v. 89, n. 2: 116-122.
Paper
Discussion in Business Week.
Discussion in The Wall Street Journal.
Michael Gort, Jeremy Greenwood, and
Peter Rupert (January 1999), "Measuring the Rate of Technological Progress
in Structures," Review of Economic
Dynamics v. 2, n. 1: 207-230.
How much technological progress has there been in structures? An attempt is
made to measure this using panel data on the age and rents for buildings. This
data is interpreted through the eyes of a vintage capital model where buildings
are replaced at some chosen periodicity. There appears to have been significant
technological advance in structures that accounts for a major part of economic
growth.
Paper
Keywords: Investment-specific technological progress;
economic growth; vintage capital; replacement problem; economic depreciation;
rent gradient.
Michael Gort, Jeremy Greenwood, and
Peter Rupert (1999), "How Much of Economic Growth is Fueled by
Investment-Specific Technological Progress?" Economic Commentary.
Discovering how economies grow is vitally
important for economists and policymakers alike. This Commentary shows that
more than half of U.S.
economic growth can be attributed to technological advance in equipment and
structures.
Paper
Thomas F. Cooley, Jeremy Greenwood, and
Mehmet Yorukoglu (December 1997), "The Replacement Problem," Journal
of Monetary Economics v. 40, n. 3:
457-499.
A prototypical vintage capital model of
economic growth is developed, where the decision to replace old technologies
with new ones is modeled explicitly. Technological change is investment
specific. Depreciation in this environment is an economic, not a physical, concept.
The vintage capital economy's balanced-growth paths and transitional dynamics
are analyzed. The transitional dynamics are markedly different from the
standard neoclassical growth model.
Paper
Keywords: Investment-Specific Technological Change;
Vintage Capital; Economic Growth
Jeremy Greenwood (1997), The Third
Industrial Revolution: Technology, Productivity and Income Inequality, AEI
Studies on Understanding Inequality, Washington,
DC. The AEI Press. Also printed
in the Economic Review, 1999, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
Was 1974 a watershed? It was dawning of
the information age, a period of rapid technological advance associated with
the introduction of information technologies. It also was the start of a sharp
rise in income inequality and signaled the beginning of the productivity
slowdown. Were these phenomena related? Could they have been the result of an
Industrial Revolution associated with the introduction of information technologies?
The answer offered here is yes, and a simple theory connecting the phenomena is
outlined. Evidence is presented showing that the coincidence of rapid
technological change, widening inequality, and slowdowns in productivity growth
are not with out precedence in economic history. Just as the steam engine shook
18th century England,
and electricity rattled 19th century America, it is argued that
information technologies are rocking the 20th century economy. (This paper is a
nontechnical version of "1974".)
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood, Zvi Hercowitz, and Per
Krusell (June 1997), "Long-Run Implications of Investment-Specific
Technological Change," American Economic Review v. 87, n. 3: 342-362.
The role that
investment-specific technological change played in generating postwar U.S. growth is
investigated here. The premise is that the introduction of new, more efficient
capital goods is an important source of productivity change, and an attempt is
made to disentangle its effects from the more traditional Hicks-neutral form of
technological progress. The balanced-growth path for the model is characterized
and calibrated to U.S. National Income and Product Account data. The
quantitative analysis suggests that investment-specific technological change
accounts for the major part of growth.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Bruce D. Smith
(January 1997), "Financial Markets in Development, and the Development of
Financial Markets," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, v. 21, no. 1: 145-181.
What is the relationship between markets
and development? It is argued that markets promote growth, and that growth in
turn encourages the formation of markets. Two models with endogenous market
formation are presented to analyze this issue. The first examines the role that
financial markets - banks and stockmarkets - play in allocating funds to the
highest valued use in the economic system. It is shown that intermediation will
arise under weak conditions. The second focuses on the role that markets play
in supporting specialization in economic activity. The consequences of perfect
competition in market formation are highlighted.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Mehmet Yorukoglu
(June 1997), "1974," Carnegie-Rochester Conference Series on
Public Policy, v. 46: 49-95.
Was 1974 a watershed? It saw an increase
in the rate of technological change in the production of new equipment. It was
the start of a sharp rise in income inequality. It signaled the beginning of
the productivity slowdown. Were these phenomena related? Could they have been
the result of an Industrial Revolution associated with the introduction of
information technologies?
Paper
Discussion in
Newsweek
Jeremy Greenwood, Glenn M. MacDonald,
and Guang-Jia Zhang (February 1996), "The Cyclical Behavior of Job
Creation and Job Destruction: A Sectoral Model," Economic Theory,
v. 7, no. 1: 95-112.
Three key features of the employment
process in the U.S.
economy are that job creation is procyclical, job destruction is
countercyclical, and job creation is less volatile than job destruction. These
features are also found at the sectoral (goods and services) level. The paper
develops, calibrates and simulates a two-sector general equilibrium model that
includes both aggregate and sectoral shocks. The behavior of the model economy
mimics the job creation and destruction facts. A non-negligible amount of
unemployment arises due to the presence of aggregate and sectoral shocks.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood, Richard Rogerson, and
Randall Wright (1995), "Household Production in Real Business Cycle
Theory," Frontiers of Business Cycle Research (Editor, Thomas F.
Cooley) Princeton
University Press: 157-174.
This paper surveys the role of household
production in modern business cycle analysis.
Abridged
version of the Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Gregory W. Huffman
(April 1995), "On the Existence of Nonoptimal Equilibria," Journal
of Economic Theory, v. 65, no. 2: 611-623.
The question of the existence of a
stationary equilibrium for distorted versions of the standard neoclassical
growth model is addressed in this paper. The conditions presented guaranteeing
the existence of nontrivial equilibrium for the class of economies under study
are simple and intuitively appealing, while the existence proof developed is
elementary. Examples are given illustrating that economies with distortional
taxation, endogenous growth with externalities, and monopolistic competition
can all fit into the framework developed.
Paper
Paul Gomme and Jeremy Greenwood
(January-February 1995), "On the Cyclical Allocation of Risk," Journal
of Economic Dynamics and Control, v. 19, no. 1-2: 91-124.
A real business cycle model with two
types of agents, workers and entrepreneurs, is simulated to see if it can
account for some stylized facts characterizing postwar U.S. business cycle fluctuations,
such as the countercyclical movement of labor's share of income, and the
acyclical behavior of real wages. It can. There exists an economy- wide market
for contingent claims. On this market workers purchase insurance from
entrepreneurs, through optimal labor contracts, against losses in income due to
business cycle fluctuations. Insurance flows protecting workers against
aggregate cyclical risk are calculated to be less than one percent of labor
income.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and R. Preston McAfee
(February 1991), "Externalities and
Asymmetric Information," Quarterly Journal of Economics, v. CVI,
no. 1: 103-121.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Zvi Hercowitz
(December 1991), "The Allocation of Capital and Time Over the Business
Cycle," Journal of Political Economy, v. 99, no. 6: 1188-1214.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Gregory W. Huffman
(April 1991), "Tax Analysis in a Real Business Cycle Model: On Measuring
Harberger Triangles and Okun Gaps," Journal of Monetary Economics,
v. 27, n. 2: 167-190.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Boyan Jovanovic
(October 1990), "Financial Development, Growth, and the Distribution of
Income," Journal of Political Economy, v. 98, n. 5: 1076-1107.
Paper
Lecture
Notes
Jeremy Greenwood and Stephen D.
Williamson (May 1989), "International Financial Intermediation and
Aggregate Fluctuations under Alternative Exchange Rate Regimes," Journal
of Monetary Economics, v. 23, n. 3: 401-431.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood, Zvi Hercowitz and
Gregory W. Huffman (June 1988), "Investment, Capacity Utilization, and the
Real Business Cycle," American Economic Review, v. 78, n. 3:
402-417.
Paper
Fortran Computer Code
Jeremy Greenwood and Gregory W. Huffman
(March 1987), "A Dynamic Equilibrium Model of Inflation and
Unemployment," Journal of Monetary Economics. v. 19,
n. 2: 203-228.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood and Kent P. Kimbrough
(June 1987), "Foreign Exchange Controls in a Black Market Economy," Journal
of Development Economics. v. 26, n. 1: 129-143.
Paper
Jeremy Greenwood (November 1983),
"Expectations, the Exchange Rate, and the Current Account,"
Journal of Monetary Economics, v. 12, n. 4: 543-569.
Paper
David Aschauer and Jeremy Greenwood
(October 1983), "A Further Exploration in the Theory of Exchange Rate
Regimes," Journal of Political Economy, v. 91, n. 5: 868-875.
Paper
Back to Jeremy Greenwood's main page