Readers Question: Can Central Banks continuously print money to avoid recession?

Readers Question. If central banks collectively and continuously print money, does this mean there will never be a financial crisis and recession? If central banks collectively and continuously print money then we could end up with a different type of financial crisis. Instead of a recession (falling output), we could get a situation of high …

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Readers Question: When Does Keynesian Economics Work?

Readers Question: I have a hunch that Keynesian responses to recession work best in industrial countries such as China and 1930’s USA as opposed to post industrial societies such as the US and UK. In the great depression consumption and production were, generally, in the same countries, e.g. cars produced in America would be consumed …

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Myths of Fiscal Policy

“Don’t Panic, Captain Mainwaring.” – Dad’s Army The famous catchphrase could perhaps be adapted to UK debt levels. The 1940s and 1950s, were an example of high debt, but, it didn’t cripple the UK economy, the 1950s proved to be a decade of full employment and was one of the longest periods of economic expansion …

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Reasons to be hopeful for economy 2010

I was looking at the scale of previous recessions. The current recession, which technically ended last quarter with a 0.1% rise in GDP, is the second worst on record. I was surprised to find that in the Great Depression, UK GDP only fell 10%. However, it is somewhat misleading. The UK economy struggled in the …

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Saving, Capital Stock, and Levels of Investment

“Maintaining and expanding a nation’s stock of capital requires saving.” Evaluate and explain. Is the assumption of full employment of any relevance? Capital Stock is the level of productive capacity in the economy. Saving and Investment There is an important economic idea that Savings = Investment. The logic is that without bank deposits, banks are …

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Question: Who benefits from government debt?

Readers Question: I would like to know more on the issue of who exactly benefits from the UK national debt that my great grandchildren are going to be paying. It is helpful to think of the three aspects of the government debt Structural deficit – related to above inflationary increases on health and education and …

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Problems of Bank Bailouts

Readers Questions: do you agree with bank bailouts why? or why not? I wrote here: Why we need to bailout the banks The Great Depression was so severe because of the scale of banks who went bankrupt. Banks may not deserve to be bailed out, but, it was a necessity. However, bailing out banks has …

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