FISCAL POLICY THE PRESIDENT AND CONGRESS USING TAXES AND SPENDING IN THE U.S. BUDGET TO INFLUENCE THE PATH OF THE ECONOMY

FATHER OF FISCAL POLICY: KEYNES PRIOR TO KEYNES: ALLOW RECESSIONS TO BE SELF-CORRECTING PRICES AND WAGES WILL, IN THE LONG RUN, FALL, AND THIS WILL STIMULATE A RECOVERY KEYNES: “IN THE LONG RUN, WE ARE ALL DEAD”, MEANING COUNTRIES MAY NOT BE ABLE TO WAIT FOR A “NATURAL” RECOVERY

KEYNES – ECONOMY CAN FALL INTO A DOWNWARD SPIRAL CONSUMERS REDUCE SPENDING COMPANIES SELL LESS COMPANIES LAY-OFF WORKERS CONSUMERS HAVE LESS INCOME CONSUMERS REDUCE SPENDING MORE COMPANES SELL EVEN LESS COMPANIES LAY-OFF MORE WORKERS MAY TAKE YEARS FOR CYCLE TO BREAK

KEYNES – ONLY ENTITY BIG ENOUGH TO STOP THE FALL IS GOVERNMENT GOVERNMENT TO USE ITS TAXING AND SPENDING POWER TO BREAK THE DOWNWARD CYCLE IN A RECESSION: CUT TAXES AND INCREASE GOVERNMENT SPENDING – WILL GIVE CONSUMERS MORE SPENDING POWER AND GOVERNMENT SPENDING WILL LEAD TO MORE JOBS

THEN, WHEN THE RECESSION IS OVER GOVERNMENT INCREASES TAXES AND REDUCES SPENDING WILL KEEP THE ECONOMY FROM GROWING TOO FAST, WHICH MIGHT LEAD TO HIGHER INFLATION ALSO ALLOWS DEBT TO BE REPAID SO GOVERNMENT USES ITS BUDGET TO “LEAN AGAINST” THE BUSINESS CYCLE

DEBATE OVER USING GOV’T SPENDING OR TAX CUTS IF GOVERNMENT SPENDS – KNOWS WILL GET INTO THE SYSTEM BUT EFFICIENCY OF GOV’T SPENDING? TAX CUTS – PEOPLE SPEND IN THEIR BEST INTEREST BUT WILL THEY SPEND?

“KEYNESIANISM” HAS BEEN EMBRACED RICHARD NIXON: “WE ARE ALL KEYNESIANS NOW” DURING RECESSIONS, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ALWAYS TRIES TO CURTAIL IT DIFFERENT PARTIES MAY EMPHASIZE TAX CUTS VERSUS SPENDING INCREASES

THE AMERICAN RECOVERY ACT OF 2009 – EXAMPLE OF FISCAL POLICY STIMULUS $800 BILLION SPENDING AND TAX REDUCTION PLAN OVER 10 YEARS TO COUNTER THE “GREAT RECESSION”

ISSUES WITH FISCAL POLICY, 1 OFTEN TAKES CONSIDERABLE TIME TO IMPLEMENT FISCAL POLICY ARGUMENTS AMONG POLITICIANS ABOUT DETAILS RECESSION MAY BE OVER BY TIME POLICIES ARE APPROVED

ISSUES WITH FISCAL POLICY, 2 IN RECESSION, THE TAX CUTS AND INCREASED SPENDING WILL LEAD TO MORE GOVERNMENT BORROWING AND A LARGER NATIONAL DEBT KEYNES – DEBT WOULD BE PAID IN PROSPEROUS TIMES BUT DIFFICULT FOR POLITICIANS TO DO

ISSUES WITH FISCAL POLICY, 3 IS IT EFFECTIVE – DOES IT WORK? ISSUE – WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM THAT THE GOVERNMENT SPENDS? KEYNES – “IDLE RESOURCES” – CASH HELD IN POCKETS OF CONSUMERS, WHICH INCREASES DURING RECESSIONS ONE SOURCE: BANK EXCESS RESERVES ANOTHER SOURCE: FOREIGN FUNDS

BUT….. IF FUNDS GOVERNMENT BORROWS TO SPEND WOULD HAVE BEEN SPENT BY BUSINESSES OR HOUSEHOLDS ON SOMETHING ELSE, THEN NO NET GAIN – “CROWDING OUT” OR, IF BUSINESSES AND HOUSEHOLDS THINK THE BORROWING WILL LEAD TO HIGHER TAXES LATER, THEN THEY MAY REDUCE SPENDING NOW – WHICH OFFSETS THE GOVERNMENT SPENDING; CALLED “TAX DISCOUNTING”

ISSUES WITH FISCAL POLICY, 4: THE “MULTIPLER” EFFECT OF FISCAL POLICY MULTIPLIER – APPLY TO GOVERNMENT SPENDING TO GIVE TOTAL IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY EXAMPLE: MULTIPLIER OF “2” – MEANS GOVERNMENT SPENDING OF $1 BILLION HAS A $2 BILLION TOTAL IMPACT ON THE ECONOMY IS MULTIPLIER LARGER THAN 1, 1, OR 0 – BIG DEBATE!!!

FISCAL POLICY IS VERY CONTROVERSIAL SOME SAY GO BACK TO “PRE-KEYNES’ – LET ECONOMY HEAL “NATURALLY” IF ACCEPT FISCAL POLICY – EMPHASIZE TAX CUTS OR GOVERNMENT SPENDING? IS FISCAL POLICY EFFECTIVE – DOES IT DO ANYTHING? WHICH IS STRONGER – MONETARY POLICY OR FISCAL POLICY?

DEBATE BETWEEN FISCAL POLICY (STIMULUS) AND AUSTERITY SOME SAY GOVERNMENT SHOULD ACT LIKE HOUSEHOLDS IN TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES – CUT SPENDING AND SAVE: CALLED AUSTERITY POLICY BUT DO INDIVIDUAL ACTIONS TRANSLATE TO GROUP ACTIONS? PARADOX OF THRIFT EMPIRICAL DEBATE