Must-read. What we have there, then, are two different conceptions of a JG. On the one hand, it might be a policy which helps capitalism function better (Keynes). But on the other, it might be a form of transitional demand – a policy which whilst fulfilling human needs is one that cannot actually be sustainably adopted by capitalism and is instead a stepping stone towards socialism (Marx). I’m honestly not sure which it is. I would not put it in terms of capitalism and socialism but...
Read More »Bill Mitchell — Trade and finance mysteries – Part 2
I was running late yesterday and the blog post was already rather long so I left some matters concerning central banks for today. The question we address briefly today is what is the role of central banks in all these trade transactions. Does an export surplus country face an ever increasing money supply as central banks provide the counterparty service to traders who sell in a foreign currency but want their own currency (such as a manufacturer who incurs costs in say Yen but sales revenue...
Read More »John Laurits — Modern Money Systems: Understanding the Monetary Mechanics of Value Parts 1&2
Welcome the new kid on the block.John LauritsModern Money Systems: Understanding the Monetary Mechanics of Value Part 1Modern Money Systems: Understanding the Monetary Mechanics of Value Part 2ht Richard in the comments
Read More »Cenk and Young Turks Team: Your Deficit Hawkery is Unrealistic and Stands in the Way of Progressive Change
By Michael Hoexter, Ph.D. [The Young Turks (TYTNetwork) is an online news network that has a wide reach among mostly progressives and independents in the United States with viewership in the hundreds of thousands of unique visitors per day and over 2 million views per day. Cenk Uygur is its founder, CEO, and leading on-camera commentator.] Dear Cenk, John Iadarola, Ana Kasparian, and the Young Turks Team, I’m a Young Turks subscriber, member, and a longtime fan of your coverage of...
Read More »Thomas Fazi and Bill Mitchell — Why the Left Should Embrace Brexit
Remainers claim that Brexit will be an economic apocalypse. But it provides the opportunity for a radical break with neoliberalism. JacobinWhy the Left Should Embrace Brexit Thomas Fazi and Bill Mitchell
Read More »Sandwichman — Job Guarantees, Collective Bargaining and the Right to Strike
More questions based on the implications of a job guarantee.EconospeakJob Guarantees, Collective Bargaining and the Right to Strike Sandwichman
Read More »Stephanie Kelton, Randy Wray and Fadhel Kaboub links
Stephanie Kelton is a leading American economist and a professor of public policy and Economics at Stony Brook University. Kelton was chief economist on the US Senate Budget Committee and economic adviser to the Bernie Sanders 2016 presidential campaign. She's most known for being a pioneer of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT). In this episode, Professor Kelton debunks budget deficit and government spending myths, and explains why understanding how our monetary system works is crucial to making...
Read More »Sean Keith and Alexander Kolokotronis — “But How Will We Pay for It?”: Modern Monetary Theory and Democratic Socialism
If democratic socialists see social democracy as one of the key stepping stones towards a truly egalitarian society, the issue of how we can sustainably finance such programs is of the utmost importance. An economic doctrine named Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) is surging in popularity and offering answers. MMT is debunking popular narratives about the harsh necessity of austerity and belt-tightening. It is showing that money is not a finite abstraction, but a limitless public utility that...
Read More »James K. Galbraith — We Work
Jamie Galbraith recounts his transition from JG sceptic to JG advocate and the reasons for his change of mind.The BafflerWe WorkJames K. Galbraith | Lloyd M. Bentsen Jr. Chair in Government/Business Relations and Professor of Government at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, The University of Texas at Austin
Read More »J. D. Alt — Framing a Job Guarantee
Now that progressive leaders (Bernie Sanders, Kirsten Gillibrand and Corey Booker) have placed a proposed “Job Guarantee” program onto the mainstream political stage, it is essential they begin explaining the proposal’s underpinning macro-economic logic. Otherwise they lay themselves, and the proposal itself, wide open to scathing public ridicule—as exemplified by a recent Megan McArdle op-ed in the Washington Post (“A federal job for everyone?” April 25, 2018). But what should they be...
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