US

Currency Manipulation

Question A:

Economic analysis can identify whether countries are using their exchange rates to benefit their own people at the expense of their trading partners’ welfare.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question B:

Bank of Japan monetary policies that result in a weaker yen make Americans generally worse off.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Question A Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Agree
4
Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Banerjee
Abhijit Banerjee
MIT
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
Its hard to know whether the net effect of the manipulation is to benefit the average citizen, just some interest group or indeed no one.
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Brunnermeier
Markus Brunnermeier
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Yes, but it seems rare in practice that conditions support both detection of the strategy and effectiveness of the strategy by the "abuser".
-see background information here
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Agree
7
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Uncertain
10
Bio/Vote History
Einav
Liran Einav
Stanford
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Finkelstein
Amy Finkelstein
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
"though twilight may be long, there is a difference between day and night"
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Disagree
2
Bio/Vote History
Optimal tariff theory says that countries should raise their prices. So policies to lower prices by devaluing must be harmful.
Hart
Oliver Hart
Harvard
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
The answer depends on whether prices are flexible or sticky,the importance of foreign inputs in domestic goods. So hard to assess welfare.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Hoynes
Hilary Hoynes
Berkeley
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Like the Volcker rule, the devil is in the details and most of the time it is very difficult to determine; rule very, very hard to write.
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Agree
5
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Have no idea of what this question means.
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Agree
3
Bio/Vote History
Samuelson
Larry Samuelson
Yale
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
This is a difficult inference problem.
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
Shapiro
Carl Shapiro
Berkeley
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Shimer
Robert Shimer
University of Chicago
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Exchange rate policy matters because of nominal rigidities and affects on global supply and demand. Identifying these situations is tricky.
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History

Question B Participant Responses

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Americans benefit from cheaper Japanese goods and would not benefit from Japan in depression.
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Banerjee
Abhijit Banerjee
MIT
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Agree
1
Bio/Vote History
Brunnermeier
Markus Brunnermeier
Princeton Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
America's cost in lower domestic output may have been recovered through better or cheaper substitutes from Japan.
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Disagree
10
Bio/Vote History
Einav
Liran Einav
Stanford
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Finkelstein
Amy Finkelstein
MIT Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
Most Americans benefit because of lower prices of imports. Some lose because they are employed in industries competing with the devaluer.
Hart
Oliver Hart
Harvard
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Again it depends on whether prices are flexible or sticky. Also Americans benefit from cheaper Japanese goods. So hard to say.
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Hoynes
Hilary Hoynes
Berkeley
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Some may lose, but a cheaper yen will benefit buyers of Japanese goods. Japan trades with many nations. Japanese gains do not imply US loss.
Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
Chicago Booth
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Will be good for us if japan grows and avoids a crisis. loose monetary policy one example of why a rule is so difficult
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Uncertain
3
Bio/Vote History
A weaker yen means a terms of trade *improvement* for the U.S.
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
Agree
6
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
No macro effect if US offsets with mon policy, and will help stabilize world economy. So no if cooperative policies.
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Uncertain
5
Bio/Vote History
Samuelson
Larry Samuelson
Yale
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
The weak yen gives rise to winners and losers in the US; it is not clear that the net effect (even if we could measure it) is negative.
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Even if effective, BoJ policies to weaken yen would help some Americans while hurting others.
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Shapiro
Carl Shapiro
Berkeley
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Shimer
Robert Shimer
University of Chicago
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
As usual, there are winners and losers from such policies
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History