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How the Great Moderation Became a (Contained) Depression and What to Do About It

Author

Listed:
  • Barry Cynamon

    (Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy, Washington University in St. Louis)

  • Steven Fazzari

    (Department of Economics, Washington University in St. Louis)

  • Mark Setterfield

    (Department of Economics, Trinity College)

Abstract

The Great Recession was deep and the subsequent recovery has been slower than most economists predicted. This article summarizes the message of a recent book that presents perspectives from a group of Keynesian economists who warned prior to 2007 of dangerous trends that could lead to these unfavorable outcomes. We discuss how the debt-fueled consumer boom leading up to the Great Recession was unsustainable and how rising inequality has compromised demand generation during the feeble recovery. We conclude the article by considering how public policy must respond in coming years.

Suggested Citation

  • Barry Cynamon & Steven Fazzari & Mark Setterfield, 2013. "How the Great Moderation Became a (Contained) Depression and What to Do About It," Working Papers 1303, Trinity College, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:tri:wpaper:1303
    as

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    File URL: http://www3.trincoll.edu/repec/WorkingPapers2013/WP13-03.pdf
    File Function: First version, 2013
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Cynamon,Barry Z. & Fazzari,Steven & Setterfield,Mark (ed.), 2013. "After the Great Recession," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781107015890, January.
    2. Palley, Thomas I., 2009. "America's exhausted paradigm: Macroeconomic causes of the financial crisis and great recession," IPE Working Papers 02/2009, Berlin School of Economics and Law, Institute for International Political Economy (IPE).
    3. Luca Gambetti & Jordi Galí, 2009. "On the Sources of the Great Moderation," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 1(1), pages 26-57, January.
    4. Robert Pollin, 1997. "The Relevance of Hyman Minsky," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 75-94, March.
    5. David A. Levy, 1991. "1990s: A Contained Depression," Challenge, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(4), pages 35-42, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Mark Setterfield, 2014. "Using Interest Rates as the Instrument of Monetary Policy: Beware Real effects, Positive Feedbacks, and Discontinuities," Ensayos Económicos, Central Bank of Argentina, Economic Research Department, vol. 1(70), pages 7-22, June.
    2. Yun K. Kim, 2017. "Rise of Household Debt and the Great Recession in the US: Comparative Perspectives," Working Papers 2017_03, University of Massachusetts Boston, Economics Department.
    3. Yun K. Kim, 2020. "Household Debt Accumulation and the Great Recession of the United States: A Comparative Perspective," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 52(1), pages 26-49, March.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Great Recession; Great Moderation; economic recovery; Keynesian macroeconomics;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E25 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Aggregate Factor Income Distribution
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination

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