Since the current recession began in December 2007, New Deal legislation and its effectiveness have been at the center of a lively debate in Washington. This paper emphasizes some key facts about two kinds of policy that were important during the Great Depression and have since become the focus...

This paper considers a plan proposed by Warren Buffett, in which importers would be required to obtain certificates proportional to the amount of non-oil goods (and possibly also services) they brought into the country. These certificates would be granted to firms that exported goods. Exporting...

Longstanding speculation about the likelihood of a housing market collapse has given way in the past few months to consideration of just how far the housing market will fall and how much damage the debacle will inflict on the economy. In this paper, we discuss recent developments related to the...

This Strategic Analysis paper provides an analysis of the medium-term forces behind economic growth since 1980, showing that the authors' previous work, grounded in the linkages between growth and the financial balances of the private, public, and foreign sectors of the economy, has proven a...

The United States must make a fundamental choice in its economic policy in the next few months, a choice that will shape the US economy for years to come. Pundits and policymakers are divided over how to address what is widely referred to as the "fiscal cliff", a combination of tax increases and...

As shown in recent Federal Reserve flow-of-funds data, federal government liabilities rose sharply in 2008 . Who holds these new liabilities, and what effects will they have on the economy? Some economists and politicians warn of impending inflation. Below we focus on one positive effect - a...

This public policy brief analyzes the current economic climate in light of recent data and commentary. The authors’ approach rests upon a Keynesian framework in which departures from full employment can persist even in the long run. Moreover, monetary policy matters in our view, but fiscal...

Though recent market activity and housing reports give some warrant for optimism, United States economic growth was only 2.2 percent in the third quarter, and the unemployment rate is still very high. In this new Strategic Analysis, we project that high unemployment will continue to be a problem...