The anemic U.S. economic recovery and the threat of a double-dip recession stem from the weakness of investment, due to excess capacity created in the euphoric years of the "new economy" bubble. The current imbalances in the corporate sector (i.e., the all-time-high indebtedness in the face of...

The consumer has been on a tightrope since the bursting of the "new economy" bubble, as losses in equity markets have been partly offset by gains in real estate and fiscal support and mortgage refinancing have partly offset increased consumer cautiousness. The consumer will remain on a tightrope...

A continuation of the current policy of bond purchases known as quantitative easing is highly probable under Janet Yellen, who is likely to be confirmed as the successor to Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke. The authors assess the probable outcomes for interest rates, which they think will not...

This contribution discusses the origins of the Great Recession and also offers suggestions for possible cures. The focus in explaining the origins of the crisis is on two features: the experience in the us with financial liberalisation is most telling in terms of the cause of the current crisis....

Beginning with an assessment of new thinking in macroeconomics and monetary theory, this book suggests that many countries have adopted the New Consensus Monetary Policy since the early 1990s in an attempt to reduce inflation to low levels. It goes on to illustrate that the explicit control of...