The AngloSaxon Model of Capitalism
The American Economy: Market Capitalism
I. Models of Capitalism
· The AngloSaxon model
Best realworld exampleUSA
· The European model
Best realworld examplesFrance, Germany and Sweden
· The Asian model
Best realworld examplesJapan, South Korea, Taiwan.
II. The U.S. Economy
1. Constitutional Foundations
· was ratified in 1787
· the original intent of the US Constitution was to limit the power and scope of the federal government
· the US Constitution specifies three brunches of government executive, legislative, and judicial, each of which represents a substantial check over the others.
2. The Environment
· Large size and rich natural resources—7% of world land area, and
5% of world's population.
· Philosophy of Individualism
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o Individuals can have significant impact on society; success through individual hard work. o Encourages higher education; discourages welfare spending.
3. Changes in the Structure of the Economy.
· Agriculture was most important employment sector until 20th century. Industry was dominant 19001930.
· The service sector employs 75% of the US labor force. Expansion moved from wholesale and retail trade to public services, and finally the nonprofit services, education and health, accounting, finance, insurance, and computer programming.
(“Industry output and employment projections to 2014”)
4. The Private Sector. a) Business Organization
Forms
· Sole proprietorship
· Partnerships
· Corporations b) Corporate Governance—for whose interest a corporation is operated.
Shareholder owners
Stakeholders— managers
The task of the manager is to maximize shareholder value (the value of corporation in stock markets as measured by its capitalization)
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· Separation of ownership and management
The principalagent problems how to motivate managers to max shareholders value. Two approaches:
· The Market for Corporate Control a market wherein rival management teams have the opportunity to buy control of the corporation from its owners; corporate raiders
· Corporate Incentives US executives receive a fixed salary and a bonus based on the performance of the corporation
· Stock option
· To match any employee contribution to their 401K
· Golden parachute c) Criticism of the AngloSaxon model
· It neglects the interests of stakeholders, who may have worked for the company for decades
· Max shareholder value can create distortions in stock markets that require accurate info to operate efficiently
5. Capital Markets the market in which businesses raise investment finance trough the issue of stocks, bonds and bank borrowing
· Brings together users and suppliers of credit
· Financial intermediaries and the efficiency of the capital markets
· Very well organized and efficient
stock markets
bond markets
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6. Competition in the product market a) Concentration ratios
• percent of total domestic output of largest 2, 4, 8,…, n firms e.g. 4firm concentration ratio of 85% means that the 4 largest firms account for 85% of the industry sales
• little change over whole century b)Increased competition from global market
• consider auto industry
7. Regulation
· Socialregulation of health, safety, and environment (consumer product safety rules; environmental protection etc.)
· Economicgov’t involvement in mkts, such as setting prices, restricting corporate decisionmaking, and controlling competition
(utility rates, the setting of local taxi rates)
· Costs and benefits
A regulation is economically and socially beneficial if it yields benefits in excess of its costs.
8. Deregulation
· The reduced incidence of gov’t regulation of business and the return of decisionmaking to the private business themselves
· Began in late 1970sairlines, railroad, transport
· has reduced real prices and increased services (more choices)
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9. The Labor Markets—competitive, less job security.
• Market allocation with influence from unions, government, and discrimination
• The impact of unions
union membership declined from 27 to about 15% now
weak compared to Europe (European unions politicized)
effects on productivity
• negative (strikes; work rules; distortion on union nonunion wage)
• positive (training; reduced turnover and higher moral)
effect on wages
• unions increase unionized wages about 1518%
• increased wages cause reduction in quantity of labor demanded in unionized sector
• thus supply of labor in nonunionized sector increased
• thus nonunionized wages depressed
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W n1
W n2
$
NonUnion
S S'
$
W uf
Union
Perceived
Supply w/ union wage floor
S
Supply w/o union wage floor
L n1
L n2
D
Labor
L uf
L ue
D
Labor
• The impact of government
licensing
public education and job training
antidiscrimination regulations
• hiring quotas
• minimum wages (min wages cause unemployment)
much more limited degree of government regulation in the
American labor markets then European
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$
W m
W e
Excess supply
I Better off (working at higher wage than before)
II Worse off (were working, now unemployed)
III Frustrated (would like to work at higher wage but can’t find work counted as unemployed)
0
I
L m
II
L e
III
L s
Labor
Discrimination
•Women
•Minorities
•Potential effects
exclusion from certain occupations/channeling into certain occupations
reducing wages of women and minorities
•Most work indicates that discrimination does exist but effect on wages small
Unemployment rate —US unemployment lower than European since
1982.
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10. The Public Sector
•Small relative to other industrialized countries
Especially small given large defense needs
Government expenditure about 35% of GDP
• 24% federal
• 11% state
11. Welfare
· Government public assistance
· FSP, TANF
· Limited welfare assistance
· promoting selfreliance thru the acquisition of job skills
12. Income Distribution
· Relatively unequal compared to other industrial nations.
· Lorentz curve
· The US distribution of income seems to have change little since
1950
· The government plays a modest role in the redistribution of income in the US.
· The taxation system has little effect on distribution, but transfer payments have a significant effect. In 2003, taxes and the earned income credit reduced the Gini index by only 4.6%, but transfer payments reduced it by 17%.
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13. Providing for Income and Security
· Principle of selfreliance
· The state is not responsible for the income and security of its citizens
· Social security act
· Educational system
· Health care system
14. Privatization
· the shift of the economy from the public sector to the private
· publicly owned facilities, such as airports, roads, water systems
· there is substantial amount of private initiative in the provision of local services
15. Macroeconomic Planning
· Use of indirect tools of monetary and fiscal policy
· The FED is in charge of formulating monetary policy. Authority over fiscal policy is diffused among the various executives and legislative bodies.
· National budget is prepared and proposed by the executive branch; examined, amended, and approved by the Congress; and signed into law by the President.
· No formal use of indicative planning or industrial policy
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