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Lost Decade in Translation: Did the US Learn from Japan's Post-Bubble Mistakes?

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  • James Harrigan
  • Kenneth Kuttner

Abstract

In 1991, the Japanese economy ended a historic expansion and entered a period of stagnation that has yet to abate. Nine years later, the US economy ended a similarly historic expansion. There were many similarities in the two countries' expansions: asset price bubbles, a real investment boom, easy monetary policy, and improvements in government finances. In the wake of bursting bubbles, the Japanese banking system was insolvent and monetary policy was too tight, problems not evident in the US post-bubble period. But the US has worse fiscal and current account imbalances than Japan had at the same stage in the post-bubble era.

Suggested Citation

  • James Harrigan & Kenneth Kuttner, 2004. "Lost Decade in Translation: Did the US Learn from Japan's Post-Bubble Mistakes?," NBER Working Papers 10938, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10938
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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E65 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Studies of Particular Policy Episodes

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