Dr Jonathan James

Senior Lecturer

Economics

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Fluent Welsh Speaker

Office 408 - 409
Fourth Floor
Keir Hardie Building
Singleton Campus

Available For Postgraduate Supervision

Research Links

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8947-7857

About

Jonathan’s specialist area of expertise is macroeconomics, in which he’s produced and published with a co-author a number of papers which principally focus on the issue of optimal design of the monetary regime, especially as regards whether a central bank should disclose to the public at large its own assessment of the state of the economy. One vein of research to which Jonathan has contributed relates to the macroeconomic theory of unionised economies, while in more recent years his work has investigated the policy design implications of agents being heterogeneously informed about macroeconomic shocks (for example, slumps in consumer sentiment or business confidence which affect aggregate demand, or supply-side developments which influence productivity, such as virus epidemics disrupting supply networks or weather events affecting crop yields). Academic journals which have published papers co-authored by Jonathan include American Economic Review, Journal of Money, Credit & Banking, and Journal of Economic Behavior.

Areas Of Expertise

Macroeconomics
Monetary economics

Career Highlights

Teaching Interests

Jonathan currently teaches monetary economics at MSc level and mathematical economics (both optimization theory and applied difference and differential equations) to final-year undergraduates. In recent years he’s also taught both macroeconomic and microeconomic theory to final year and intermediate-level undergraduates.

Collaborations

Publications

Research Highlights

James, J. & Lawler, P. (2016). Optimal Transparency and Policy Intervention with Heterogeneous Signals and Information Stickiness. The Manchester School, 85(5)
https://doi.org/10.1111/manc.12161, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa29211
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2015). Heterogeneous private sector information, central bank disclosure, and stabilization policy. Southern Economic Journal, 82(2), 620-634.
https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12028, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21493
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2011). Unions, monopolistic competition and the optimal monetary regime. Metroeconomica, 62(2), 265-282.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-999X.2010.04102.x, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5204
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-999X.2010.04102.x/abstract
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Union Objectives, Wage-Setting Externalities and Structural Constraints. Ekonomia, 13(1), 16-35.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5205
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Union objectives and indexation externalities in a monopolistically competitive economy. Research in Economics, 64(1), 28
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rie.2009.08.001, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5202
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090944309000295
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Macroeconomic shocks, unionized labour markets and central bank disclosure policy: How beneficial is increased transparency?. European Journal of Political Economy, 26(4), 506-516.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2010.04.002, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5203
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S017626801000025X
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2006). Might a conservative central banker reduce employment variability?. Economics Letters, 93(3), 367
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2006.06.012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa2178
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2006). Productivity, indexation and macroeconomic outcomes: The implications of goods market competition and wage bargaining structure. Journal of Economics and Business, 58(5-6), 465-479.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconbus.2006.06.005, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa15441
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2007). Supply shocks, private sector information and monetary policy: Is there inevitably a stabilization trade-off?. Economics Letters, 96(1), 77
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2006.12.013, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa2143
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2008). Aggregate demand shocks, private signals and employment variability: Can better information be harmful?. Economics Letters, 100(1), 101-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2007.11.006, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5256
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176507004181

All Research

Journal Articles

James, J. & Lawler, P. (2016). Optimal Transparency and Policy Intervention with Heterogeneous Signals and Information Stickiness. The Manchester School, 85(5)
https://doi.org/10.1111/manc.12161, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa29211
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2015). Heterogeneous private sector information, central bank disclosure, and stabilization policy. Southern Economic Journal, 82(2), 620-634.
https://doi.org/10.1002/soej.12028, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa21493
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2012). Heterogeneous information quality; strategic complementarities and optimal policy design. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 83(3), 342-352.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2012.07.003, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa14118
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2012). Strategic Complementarity, Stabilization Policy and the Optimal Degree of Publicity. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, 44(4), 551-572.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1538-4616.2012.00501.x, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa6944
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2011). Unions, monopolistic competition and the optimal monetary regime. Metroeconomica, 62(2), 265-282.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-999X.2010.04102.x, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5204
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-999X.2010.04102.x/abstract
James, J., Lawler, P., & James, J. (2011). Optimal Policy Intervention and the Social Value of Public Information. American Economic Review, 101(4), 1561-1574.
https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.101.4.1561, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5258
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2011). Optimal delegation implications of central bank transparency. Economics Letters, 113(1), 8-11.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2011.06.001, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa6943
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Union Objectives, Wage-Setting Externalities and Structural Constraints. Ekonomia, 13(1), 16-35.
SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5205
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Union objectives and indexation externalities in a monopolistically competitive economy. Research in Economics, 64(1), 28
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rie.2009.08.001, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5202
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1090944309000295
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2010). Macroeconomic shocks, unionized labour markets and central bank disclosure policy: How beneficial is increased transparency?. European Journal of Political Economy, 26(4), 506-516.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejpoleco.2010.04.002, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5203
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S017626801000025X
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2009). Aggregate demand shocks, central bank preferences and macroeconomic outcomes with imperfect information. Economics Letters, 105(3), 208-210.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2009.08.001, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5257
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176509002493
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2008). Aggregate demand shocks, private signals and employment variability: Can better information be harmful?. Economics Letters, 100(1), 101-104.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2007.11.006, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa5256
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165176507004181
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2007). Supply shocks, private sector information and monetary policy: Is there inevitably a stabilization trade-off?. Economics Letters, 96(1), 77
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2006.12.013, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa2143
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2006). Might a conservative central banker reduce employment variability?. Economics Letters, 93(3), 367
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econlet.2006.06.012, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa2178
James, J. & Lawler, P. (2006). Productivity, indexation and macroeconomic outcomes: The implications of goods market competition and wage bargaining structure. Journal of Economics and Business, 58(5-6), 465-479.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jeconbus.2006.06.005, SU Repository: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa15441

Taught Modules

EC-3001 Economics Independent Study Project

The module offers the opportunity for final year students in Economics programmes to expand their research skills through the specification and conduct of an independent, but structured academic investigation. Such work is not only of educational value in its own right. The production of a good undergraduate dissertation and development of basic research skills is also an indicator of suitability for postgraduate study in Economics. The completed dissertation may also be of value as an example to potential employers of a student's abilities and skills in investigation and report preparation.
EC-M567 Monetary Economics

The module aims to cover many recent areas in monetary economics. The main focus of the module will be on inflation dynamics, monetary transmission mechanism, monetary policy.