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This paper evaluates Nordhaus's neoclassical complaints about the Stern Review from the vantage point of classical growth theory. Nordhaus criticizes the Stern Review because it uses a discount rate that is well below the market rate of return on capital. From the perspective of classical growth theory, Nordhaus's belief in choosing preference parameters for the social planner based on observed market rates of return is equivalent to assigning the preferences of the capitalist agents to the social planner. This equivalence is an implication of the Cambridge Theorem, which interprets the Ramsey equation as the saving function of the capitalist agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a recent paper Chandra & Sandilands (2006) put forward three contentious propositions concerning the 'mechanics' of the process of economic growth: these propositions are to the effect (1) that 'pecuniary external economies' should not be considered instances of market failure; (2) that economies of scale are of little importance in accounting for increasing returns, increasing returns being, it is alleged, attributable to other factors such as external economies or 'industrial differentiation'; and (3) that increasing returns are not 'sector specific', implying that particular sectors should not therefore be singled out for special promotion. This note investigates the arguments advanced by Chandra & Sandilands in support of these propositions, and finds that no convincing case is made for any of them. In particular, we stress the invalidity of Chandra & Sandilands' contention that increasing returns are largely independent of economies of scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longer life expectancy and lower fertility rates will lead to an ageing population in most Western countries. This is thought to make earnings-based defined-benefit pay-as-you-go pension schemes unviable in the near future. Some economists suggest shifting towards a capitalized funded system grounding their proposal on the following advantages: (i) it raises national saving, thus leading to a faster rate of accumulation and a larger per capita income; (ii) it offers a higher rate of return on savings; (iii) it is immune to demographic shifts. In this paper we explore the fundamentals of these advantages, and conclude that the theoretical basis supporting them is very weak. We base our theoretical standpoint on the Sraffian-based capital critique and the theory of endogenous money. Additionally, we defend a parametric reform of a standard PAYG using figures that correspond to the Spanish economy for the period 2001–70. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]