Larry Summers attracted a great deal of attention with arguments that post-Keynesian theories ought to be taken into account, and the ability of central banks to stimulate the economy are limited. One could argue that the zeitgeist is shifting in the direction of Modern Monetary Theory (MMT): the role of fiscal policy may be increasingly important. However, I am unsure how far actual economics debates will shift.One may note that Summers dodged discussing MMT in his initial tweets; in fact,...
Read More »Michael Hudson — Global Warming and U.S. National Security Diplomacy
Control of oil has long been a key aim of U.S. foreign policy. The Paris climate agreements and any other Green programs to reduce the pace of global warming are viewed as threatening the aim of dominating world energy markets by keeping economies dependent on oil under U.S. control. Also blocking U.S. willingness to help stem global warming is the oil industry’s economic and hence political power. Its product is not only energy but also global warming, along with plastic pollution.......
Read More »John Ross — Why China maintained its strong economic growth
The reason this is crucial is set out in the article below. It shows in a detailed way that it is investment, and not any other major factor in the economy, which controls China’s rate of economic growth – as it does in other major economies. In addition to its medium-term effect it was the fall in fixed investment which led to the economic slowdown in the second half of 2018, and the upturn which led to the good results in the first quarter of 2019 and in March in particular. Quantitative...
Read More »Stephanie Kelton — The Democrats’ Options for Repealing the Trump Tax Cut
No, this won’t be on the table until 2021 at the earliest. But the party’s candidates need to offer some solutions. Bloomberg OpinionThe Democrats’ Options for Repealing the Trump Tax Cut Stephanie Kelton | Professor of Public Policy and Economics at Stony Brook University, formerly Democrats' chief economist on the staff of the U.S. Senate Budget Committee, and an economic adviser to the 2016 presidential campaign of Senator Bernie Sanders
Read More »William Hartung — The Pentagon’s Plan to Dominate the Economy
Given his erratic behavior, from daily Twitter eruptions to upping his tally of lies by the hour, it’s hard to think of Donald Trump as a man with a plan. But in at least one area — reshaping the economy to serve the needs of the military-industrial complex — he’s (gasp!) a socialist in the making.… William Hartung apparently misses that the first step in the plan is reality distortion, also known as "gaslighting." With such field distortion, establishing truth becomes impossible on...
Read More »Charlotte Cowles — Stephanie Kelton Wants You to Ask: ‘What Does a Good Economy Look Like?’
It’s rare for a fiscal policy wonk to attain political celebrity status, but economist Stephanie Kelton, a professor at Stony Brook University in New York, is one of the hottest names in Washington right now. Though her ideas were considered radical just a few years ago (Paul Krugman flatly rejected the premise of her research in a 2011 New York Times column), several of the policies she helped popularize, such as nationwide student debt cancellation and a federal jobs guarantee, have...
Read More »Jared Bernstein — Trump 2020 game plan: Fake Laffer, Go Keynes.
Summary and implications of Goldman Sachs economic research team forecast. On the EconomyTrump 2020 game plan: Fake Laffer, Go Keynes.Jared Bernstein | Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities and former Chief Economist and Economic Adviser to Vice President Joe Biden in the Obama Administration
Read More »Zach Carter — Stephanie Kelton Has The Biggest Idea In Washington
Must-read. Its' a very positive article, but unfortunately, the job guarantee is not presented in terms of the basic issue — the choice between a buffer stock of employed or buffer stock of unemployed, and how the former is superior using efficiency and effectiveness as criteria. The other key issue is how the JG is an integral aspect of policy formulation that promises to reconcile the trifecta of growth, employment and price stability, previous thought to be impossible without...
Read More »Michael Stephens — Watch Live: A New New Deal and the Job Guarantee
Today at the New School, L. Randall Wray and Stephanie Kelton take part in a public workshop organized by the National Jobs for All Coalition that is focused on developing a “A New ‘New Deal’ for NYC and the USA.... Multiplier EffectWatch Live: A New New Deal and the Job GuaranteeMichael Stephens
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