Can a large-scale defcit spending program speed up recovery after recession? To answer that question we calibrate a standard neoclassical growth model with US data and assume that an exogenous shock has driven aggregate output far below steady-state level. We calibrate the model such that a...

"Some economists argue that the neoclassical growth model cannot account for the macroeconomic effects of big fiscal shocks. This paper reassesses this view. We test the theory using data from World War II, which is by far the largest fiscal shock in the history of the United States. We take...