Since Jan 2017, US borrowing has increased – with over $2.7 trillion added to the US national debt. Whilst fears over debt are often over-blown, there is little long-term benefit or justification for these high levels of borrowing. The past few years represent a missed opportunity to reduce debt as % of GDP and/or invest …
The Labour Party manifesto commitment has numerous spending commitments. These are financed by a mixture of government borrowing and tax increases. Would the increase in spending and borrowing lead to higher interest rates? In summary – the most likely effect would be a short-term fiscal expansion, which could lead to higher growth, a rise in …
Capital spending is investment spending on increasing your fixed assets, for example, building a hospital, buying equipment or building a new road. See also: Gross fixed capital formation Current spending is expenditure on day to day running costs, for example, government spending on wages of public sector workers or buying raw materials. One major difference …
The Lib Dems have proposed a budget rule that would run a persistent current budget surplus of 1%. This means that current spending (day to day costs of government) should always be less than tax revenue. Borrowing would only be allowed to finance capital investment after an independent watchdog found that the return would be …
Government debt under Labour was a major factor in the elections of 2010 and 2015. But to what extent did the Labour government really plunge the economy into debt during 1997-2007? Usually, when people say ‘it’s debt that got us into this mess’. They tend to view all types of debt as the same – …
Readers question: What are the functions of government in a capitalist economy? In summary, the economic functions of a government include: Protection of private property and maintaining law and order / national defence. Raising taxes. Providing public services not provided in a free market (e.g. health care, education, street lighting) Limit market failure through the …
To what extent has the UK seen cuts in spending to the NHS and health care spending in recent years? In short: Actual spending on the NHS has increased. Real spending per capita has been broadly flat in recent years. As a share of the nations wealth, it is falling and it is true to …
Readers Question: To what extent are higher government debt levels a constraint on economic growth? There has been much debate about the extent to which high levels of government debt might slow down rates of economic growth. In particular, a 2010 paper “Growth in a Time of Debt,” by Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff seemed …