"We propose and demonstrate a simple method for guiding researchers in developing quantitative models of economic fluctuations. We show that a large class of models are equivalent to a prototype growth model with time-varying wedges that resemble time-varying productivity, labor taxes, and...

"Previous studies of the U.S. Great Depression find that increased taxation contributed little to either the dramatic downturn or the slow recovery. These studies include only one type of capital taxation: a business profits tax. The contribution is much greater when the analysis includes other...