Monday, September 26, 2011

Christina Romer gets it right on the deficit


Romer's column in the NYTimes, a few days ago, is certainly worth reading. She says among other things:
"Fiscal austerity, not more stimulus, is the answer. This argument makes me crazy. There’s simply no evidence that concern about the current deficit is a significant factor limiting consumer spending or business investment. And government borrowing rates are at record lows, suggesting that financial markets are not worried about the deficit, either... The best evidence shows that fiscal austerity depresses growth and raises unemployment in the near term. That’s the experience of countries like Greece, Portugal and Britain, which have embarked on drastic deficit reduction plans over the last two years. Cut the current deficit and you will raise unemployment, not lower it."
It's high time for Keynesians, of any sort, that may have some influence with the President to be for fiscal expansion.

No comments:

Post a Comment

More on MMT in the Tropics: or Can exchange rate instability, and zero interest rates, guarantee prosperity in the periphery?

  Lance Taylor, Wynne Godley and myself in March 1999 Back in the 1990s (from late 1996 to early 1999 to be precise), I worked for Wynne Go...