Department of Economics
CONTENTS
(last updated: 29/05/2009 9:50)
(Selecting a hyperlink from
the following items will direct you to the relevant section of the web-page)
International trade theory,
endogenous global division of labor and inframarginal models of trade, trade
and labor market interactions, endogenous trade policy formation, applications
of duality and production theory to international trade
Research Activities
Director
of Research, Department of Economics
Editor:
Division of Labor
and Transaction Costs
Recent ARC Discovery Grants
2005-2007, A Neo-Heckscher-Ohlin Model
of Trade with Endogenous Production Patterns (CI: C. Tombazos)
Selection of Current
Projects
Harris,
N. Mark, Laszlo Matyas, and Christis G. Tombazos “Production Profile
Compatibility in a Dynamic Gravity Model of Trade”.
Abstract:
The extent to which what countries
produce makes them ‘compatible’ to trade is an issue that has so far eluded the
popular Gravity framework of international exchange. Efforts to account for
exogenous sources of comparative advantage, via regressors such as per capita
GDP, do not seem to adequately capture either differential technologies or
differential factor endowments across countries (see Melitz, European Econ. Review, 2007). At the
same time, the recent findings of Debaere (Journal
of Intern. Econ., 2005) suggest that reliance on a new trade theory
justification for the model does not itself justify the presumption that the
degree of specialization across countries is sufficiently uniform or pronounced
to render them, ceteris paribus, equally trade compatible. To address this
long-standing weakness of the Gravity model we introduce a dynamic
specification that relies on trade reciprocity to account for the extent to
which the production profiles of different countries are trade compatible. The
model is estimated using an APEC panel of data for the years 1973 to 2000. Our
results provide strong support for the view that the neglected measure of
production profile compatibility plays a important role in the Gravity setting.
Tombazos, Christis G., and Dingsheng Zhang “Specialisation, Trade
in Intermediate Goods, and Wage Inequality.”
Abstract: Using a model that recognizes the prevalent
cross-country specialization in production and the intermediate nature of all
traded products, we investigate the effect of observed trends in the prices of
ordinary intermediate and semi-final imports on the wage differential between
skilled and unskilled labor in the
Recent Publications
Forthcoming Opp, Marcus M., Hugo F. Sonnenschein, and Christis G.
Tombazos “Rybczynski’s Theorem in the Heckscher-Ohlin World – Anything Goes.” Journal
of International Economics.
Forthcoming Tombazos, Christis G. “Imports, Production, and the
Australian Worker.” In Australian and
Japanese Labour Markets Compared: Different Roads to Reform, edited by
Jenny Corbett.
2008 Corden,
Max W., Peter Forsyth, and Christis G. Tombazos “Distinguished Fellow of the
Economic Society of Australia 2008, Yew-Kwang Ng.” Economic Record 84, 265, (2008): 267-272.
2007 Tombazos,
C. G. “Specialisation, the Intermediate Nature of Traded Commodities, and the
Myth of Import Driven Wage Inequality in the
2006 Tombazos,
C. G. and Stephen Miller “Returning to the Classical Tradition: The Relevance
and Application of Inframarginal Analysis to Development Economics.” In Inframarginal Contributions to Development
Economics, edited by Christis G. Tombazos, and Xiaokai Yang.
2006 Tombazos,
Christis G., and Xiaokai Yang, eds. Inframarginal
Contributions to Development Economics. Edited by James Buchanan, Yew-Kwang
Ng and Xiaokai Yang. Vol. 3, Increasing
Returns and Inframarginal Economics.
2006 Tombazos,
Christis G. “Xiaokai Yang: Some Recollections.” Division of Labour and
Transaction Costs 1, no. 2, June, (2006): 219.
2006 Tombazos,
C. G. “In Defence of Infamarginal Economics.” Economic Papers 2006,
25(2), 196-204.
2006 Tombazos,
C. G. “Marginal Vs. Inframarginal Analysis and the Theory of Distribution Vs.
the Development of a Theory of Economic Organisation.” Economic Papers 2006,
25(2), 101-116.
2005 Tombazos,
C. G., X. Yang, and D. Zhang. “A Neo-Heckscher Ohlin Model of Trade with
Endogenous Production Patterns.” Economic Record, 81(255), 2005,
S71-81.
2005 Tombazos,
C. G. “A Revisionist Perspective of European Research in Economics.” European
Economic Review, 49(2), 2005, 251-277 (leading).
2005 Tombazos,
C. G. “Division of Labor and Corner Solutions in Positive Trade Theory”, in An Inframarginal Approach to Trade Theory,
edited by Xiaokai Yang, Wenli Cheng, Heling Shi and Christis G. Tombazos.
2005 Yang,
X., W. Cheng, H. Shi, and C. G. Tombazos, eds. An Inframarginal Approach to Trade Theory. Edited by James
Buchanan, Yew-Kwang Ng and Xiaokai Yang, Increasing
Returns and Inframarginal Economics.
Software
2004 "Market
Distortions and International Trade Policy: Mathematical Treatment and Dynamic
Animations" (with Brian Chapman).
SEMESTER 1, 2009
Microeconomic Theory (ECC4650 Honours subject)
The
online evaluation page for the 2009 edition of ECC4650 is not yet available.
1. Items on
Reserve at Matheson Library
2. Electronic handouts -
the following documents may not be available throughout the year
Utility Maximisation: A Three-dimensional Perspective Using Mathematica
Handout 1 - Optimisation and Duality
Handout 2 - Income and Substitution Effects
Handout 3 - Problem Set on Consumer Choice and Production Theory
Handout
4 - Solutions to Problem Set on Cons. Choice and Prod. Theory: pg 1,
pg 2,
pg 3,
pg 4,
pg 5,
pg 6,
Problem set 1 - correction
Handout
6 - Problem Set on General Equilib.Two-Part Tariffs and Moral Hazard
Handout
7 - Solutions to Problem Set on Gen. Equil., Two-Part Tariffs and Moral Hazard:
pg 1, pg 2, pg 3, pg 4, pg 5, pg 6, pg 7, pg 8, pg 9
SEMESTER 2, 2009
International Trade Policy (ECC4690 Honours subject)
The
online evaluation page for the 2009 edition of ECC4690 is not yet available.
1.
Items on Reserve at Matheson Library
2. Electronic handouts (will
be released as needed)
Handout 1 - The Optimality of Free Trade in the Case of a Small Economy
Handout 2 - Consumption Externalities
Handout
3 - Light-weight Articles for Discussion (these articles will not be
distributed)
Handout 4 - Dynamic Non-equivalence of Common Trade Barriers
Handout 5 - Summary of "On Exports and Economic Growth"
Handout 6 - Trade Policy and Employment
Handout 7 - Models of Endogenous Trade Policy Formation
Handout 8 - Talking About a Revolution (article by P. Krugman published in "Slate")
Handout 9 - Liberalisation Overheads
Education
B.S. (Summa Cum Laude), M.A., Ph.D. (1995) The Ohio State University
Contact Details
Christis
G. Tombazos
Department
of Economics
Clayton,
Victoria 3800
Phone: ++ 61 (03) 9905-5166
Fax: ++ 61 (03) 9905-5476
Christis.Tombazos@BusEco.monash.edu.au
And on the third day: No torture, no secret jails, no Guantanamo!
The Case of the Ambient
Atmosphere
In this section I host the
outstanding documentary “Ambient Atmosphere” by Cypriot journalist Makarios Drousiotis. This documentary
examines the quality of political discourse and the state of journalistic
integrity in
Australian Universities
Articles and Links
Micro-regulation
of Universities Ignores Real Issues by Monash Vice Chancellor Richard Larkins (Appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald on Dec. 16., 2005)
The
Mismanagement of Research Funds, Why this Article Deserves $4,000, and the
Impact of Sunspots on Australia's Balance of Trade by Christis G. Tombazos (Back on this web site
by popular demand. Humorous piece dealing with a serious issue,
dedicated to those who will find it more disturbing than amusing. Published
long before RQF and ERA were acronyms with familiar sounds)
Australian
Universities: Moscow on the Molonglo by Max Corden (One of a few published pieces that recognise the
self-contradictory education policy of the federal government)
Research
floored by full Nelson by Stuart
Macintyre (On the Nelson-ARC
fiasco)
Glyn Davis and Melbourne University's New
Direction
What
follows is a picture from the Faculty of Business and Economics’ 2007 “Awards
Night”. As noted on the invitations, the theme of the evening was “Soaring to
Global Excellence”. Subtlety and elegance…subtlety and elegance!

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