What is the best way to achieve price stability? Conventional wisdom says that a tough, independent central bank is all that is necessary. However, a new view—the fiscal theory of the price level—argues that an appropriate fiscal policy is also required, no matter how tough the central bank...

A discussion of the relationship between monetary and fiscal policy, concluding that sound policy, be it monetary or fiscal, should have clear objectives, verifiable outcomes, and rules that are consistently followed.

Is inflation (in the often-quoted words of Milton Friedman) "always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon"? Some say no, arguing that inflation is controlled not only by the central bank but also by the fiscal authority. This Commentary authors explore their argument, known as the fiscal theory...

The intended effects of a government policy can be distorted by the public’s expectations about how strictly it will be enforced. If households and businesses cannot be certain that a policy will remain unchanged over its scheduled tenure, they will adjust their response to it to reflect this...

A discussion of why budget deficits are inadequate measures of the long-run effect of fiscal policy on intergenerational redistributi- on, and an assertion that policy evaluation would be better served by looking at generational accounts.

Federal surpluses have come as a pleasant surprise, but using them to finance additional government spending would be disastrous. By the middle of the next decade, Social Security and Medicare outlays will soar beyond projected payroll taxes. While using the surpluses to offset future...

The extent of government deficits and debt has been one of the most debated issues in recent years. However, very little has been contributed about their dynamics . Yet, the issue of entering into and exiting from excessive deficits will be critical in the European monetary union since the...

An examination of the role of sound money in promoting national prosperity, emphasizing the hazards that emanate from fiscal policies and the challenges that will accompany the European Monetary Union.

The author contends that luck has played a major role in the fiscal fortunes of the 1990s. He (along with many others) is therefore concerned about the unquestioned presumption that projected budget surpluses are as good as achieved. Such a presumption, he says, is a shaky foundation from which...

An argument that the debate between Congress and the President over how to balance the budget is not simply irresponsible political posturing, but the result of serious and reasoned differences of opinion on the economic consequences of specific spending and tax decisions.