Japanease Slump and its Implications

Japanease stock index Nikkie touched 39,000 mark in late 1980s, today it is struggling around 9,000. Virtually there was zero growth for last two decades in the Asia's largest and world's second largest economy. Fiscal measures, monetary measures all failed one after another in bringing back the normalcy.  When one look into the reasons (Irrational credit expansion and reality boom) that caused the downfall of the Japnease economy, one certainly get scared of their future prospects from the current juncture.  

Here i would like to initiate for a year end debate on the possible causes for the continued slump in the Japnease economy. Particularly i invite the arguments on the following issues:

• Reasons for the failure of fiscal and monetary measures in Japan
  
• Why an average Japanease citizen save so high? (even after realising that their savings and investments have gone for a vain)
• Possible measures to be adapted to cure the Japanease truma
• Implications of prolonged Japanease slump to the current debacle of the global financial system

As i mentioned it is the year end debate, i request your valuable arguments and comments by the end of the current year.  I also hereby promise that your contribution will be duly recongized in my forth coming blog post on the same issue.

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New dimension to Trade theory

You might be well aware of David Ricardo's 'Theory of Comepetitive advantage' which advocates that the countries which are relatively competitive enough in producing different goods/services should participate in trade ( E.g. you are a better baker and i am a better shoe maker, the trade between us improves the prospects of both of us). This basic idea of trade relevence dominated the thought of International economics and trade, in a way it laid the path of economic thinking of international trade.  

Paul Krugman is one of the first to realize that those kinds of path dependent models only explained about half of the trade in the world, and he became the first one to explain economicially why it (also) made sense that countries that are similar should trade as opposed to courtries that are differnt. He explains that  such trade between the countries that are similar, enables specialisation and large-scale production, which results in lower prices and greater diversity of commodities. The development of large scale production for the world market has contributed significantly for the enhancement of standard of living of most of the countrymen (mostly in developing counries)  by the way of attracting more people to cities and higher wage rates.  Paul in his path breaking work on trade theory showed how economics of scale influence trade and urbanization.

(The author has greatly benefited from the writings of Simon Kennedy and Rich Miller)

Comments and further contributions are encouraged!!