The “New Consensus” and the Post-Keynesian Approach to the Analysis of Liquidity Traps

We compare the “New Consensus” (NC) in macroeconomics as expounded in Woodford (2003) and the Post-Keynesian (PK) approach regarding the causes of a “liquidity trap” (LT). We argue that in the NC approach a LT is a phenomenon caused by unusually large transitory shocks that depress the “neutral” interest rate temporarily. By contrast, in the PK approach, the economy may also exhibit a “structural” or long-lasting LT. This may be the case if a combination of high precautionary saving, low investment spending and stringent conditions for access to bank credit stemming from a high degree of uncertainty and liquidity preference makes the sum of the steady-growth “neutral” interest rate and the expected inflation rate fall short of the term/risk premium on long-term interest rates.