Category Archives: classical economics

UK negative growth no surprise: austerity leads to double dip recession.

Britain has suffered a double dip recession according to the latest GDP data for the first quarter of 2012. The economy contracted in this quarter 0.2% after having contracted 0.3 % in the fourth quarter of 2011. This is no … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, European debt crisis, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

S+P Downgrade Warning on European Sovereign Debt May throw Spanner in the Works

When it really counted in the past in the lead-up to the financial crisis S+P and other ratings agencies failed to warn about the quality or lack thereof of the asset backed financial derivatives that caused so much disaster in … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, European debt crisis, European financial stability fund, Greek sovereign debt crisis, Italian debt crisis, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The euro sovereign debt crisis and the irrationality of the bond markets:the need for a lender of last resort

Throughout the history of the capitalist system the markets have played a pivotal role. Of course, the Walrasian conception of markets that inevitably clear temporary gluts and misallocations through the process of tatonnement and the invisible auctioneer is obviously a … Continue reading

Posted in business cycles, classical economics, European debt crisis, European financial stability fund, J.M.Keynes, labour market clearing | Tagged | Leave a comment

Currency unions and balance of payments: what lies behind the Greek predicament

One of the relatively unexplored aspects of the Greek debt crisis involves balance of payments issues that are buried beneath the terms of trade upon which Greece entered the European union. Much has been said and written about failure to … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, balance of payments, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, European debt crisis, fiscal policy, full employment, Greek sovereign debt crisis, J.M.Keynes, monetary policy, quantity theory of money, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Papandreou to resign and new coalition government involving Pasok, New Democracy and two conservative minor parties to take his place under new PM

The latest news from Greece suggests that a new coalition government involving the Greek socialist party, Pasok, the principal opposition party New Democracy led by Antonis Samoras, and two conservative minor parties  is to replace the Government of George Papandreou. … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, classical economics, deficit hysteria, European debt crisis, Greek sovereign debt crisis, J.M.Keynes, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Keynes versus the monetarists 2

 Originally posted  SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2010 Keynes versus monetarists 2 Some additional distinctions : Keynes&monetaristsKeynes’ theory of investment depends upon what he calls the marginal efficiency of capital. He defines the mec as follows: that rate of discount from a … Continue reading

Posted in classical economics, deficits and debt, full employment, J.M.Keynes, labour market clearing, Milton Friedman and NAIRU, monetary policy, quantity theory of money, Schumpeter, unemployment | Leave a comment

Keynes versus the monetarists 1

Keynes versus the monetarists 1 A Quick Guide to Keynes and the monetarists  originally posted Dec 2, 2005 on my blogspot blog.Keynes: 1. Rejects Say’s law of markets that supply creates its own demand; he also doesn’t accept Walras’s law … Continue reading

Posted in business cycles, classical economics, deficits and debt, full employment, J.M.Keynes, Keynesian multiplier, labour market clearing, Milton Friedman and NAIRU, monetary policy, unemployment | Leave a comment

Papandreou reverses position:no referendum, confidence vote takes place this evening

Premier George Papandreou after coming under heavy pressure from European leaders and the perhaps temporary desertion of several of his Parliamentary colleagues  reversed his position on holding a referendum. In exchange, he may have persuaded some of the opposition party … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, business cycles, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, European debt crisis, European financial stability fund, Greek sovereign debt crisis, J.M.Keynes, monetary policy, quantitative easing, treasury view, Uncategorized, unemployment | Tagged | Leave a comment

Keynes:Alive and Well

Way back in 1996 I wrote an op ed piece for the business pages of the Toronto Globe and Mail in response to the anti-Keynesian musings of Terence Corcoran a business columnist for the Globe and Mail who was convinced … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, Canada, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, fiscal policy, full employment, J.M.Keynes, labour market clearing, treasury view, Uncategorized, unemployment | 1 Comment

The Deficit:Hysteria and the Current Crisis

DeficitPapers-Chapter 2 – This essay  originally written in 1983-84 and the introduction to it (1992) was reprinted in my book with Phillip Hansen Toward a Humanist Political Economy published in 1992. I am including it here because it contains analysis … Continue reading

Posted in austerity, business cycles, Canada, classical economics, deficit hysteria, deficits and debt, European debt crisis, Federal Reserve, fiscal policy, full employment, J.M.Keynes, monetary policy, quantitative easing, U.S., Uncategorized, unemployment | 2 Comments