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The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money After 75 Years: The Importance of Being in the Right Place at the Right Time

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  • Matthew N. Luzzetti
  • Lee E. Ohanian

Abstract

This paper studies why the General Theory had so much impact on the economics profession through the 1960s, why that impact began to wane in the 1970s, and why many economic policymakers cling to many of the tenets of the General Theory. We discuss three key elements along these lines, including the fact macroeconomic time series through the 1960s seemed to conform qualitatively to patterns discussed in the General Theory, that econometric developments in the area of simultaneous equations made advanced the General Theory to a quantitative enterprise, and that the General Theory was published during the Great Depression, when there was a search for alternative frameworks for understanding economic crises.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthew N. Luzzetti & Lee E. Ohanian, 2010. "The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money After 75 Years: The Importance of Being in the Right Place at the Right Time," NBER Working Papers 16631, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:16631
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Bachmann, Rüdiger & Sims, Eric R., 2012. "Confidence and the transmission of government spending shocks," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 59(3), pages 235-249.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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