Yearly Archives: 2014

MMT AND EXTERNAL CONSTRAINTS

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Devin Smith | 25 comments

To Fix or To Float, that is the question.

MMT argues that a sovereign government that issues its own “nonconvertible” currency cannot become insolvent in terms of its own currency. It cannot be forced into involuntary default on its obligations denominated in its own currency. It can “afford” to buy anything for sale that is priced in its own currency. It might be able to buy things for sale in foreign currency by offering up its own currency in exchange—but that is not certain.

If, instead, it promises to convert its currency at a fixed price to something else (gold, foreign currency) then it might not be able to keep that promise. Insolvency and involuntary default become possible.

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25 Comments

Posted in L. Randall Wray

Tagged MMT, Modern Monetary Theory

If New York Times Reporters Won’t Read Krugman about Austerity Will they Read Brooks?

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Devin Smith | 4 comments

By William K. Black
(Cross posted at Benzinga.com)

The New York Times Incompetence in Macroeconomic Reporting (IMR) Award

I have written repeatedly about the New York Times’ needs to create a prize in incompetence in macroeconomic reporting (IMR) and suggested that the paper award the IMR prize to its reporters. I suggested that the prize consist of a two hour lunch with Paul Krugman in which he will provide them with a remedial lecture on why austerity is an economically illiterate response to a recession.

NYT columns discussing austerity, particularly in the eurozone, demonstrate that its reporters religiously avoid reading Krugman’s scores of columns on austerity. As always on this subject, I want to make express that I don’t insist that the reporters agree with economics. It is fine for reporters to state that economics has known for 75 years that austerity is a self-destructive response to a recession but that some economists disagree. It is fine for the reporter to explain why he agrees with the austerian economists. It is not acceptable journalism to ignore the dominant economic view, 75 years of supporting events, and the empirical studies by austerians (the IMF) finding that fiscal changes have more powerful effects on the economy consistent with the dominant theory. It is not acceptable journalism to ignore unemployment and inequality and the role of austerity in increasing both. I end by expanding on Krugman’s column about a tragic financial media meme by discussing three related memes that are causing great harm.

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4 Comments

Posted in William K. Black

Tagged austerity, budget, new york times, nyt

How to Restore the Good Name of Government

Posted on February 21, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 63 comments

By Joe Firestone

Why is it that Washington village “progressives,” and their associates in other parts of the country who are nevertheless part of the Washington village culture, often ask useful questions, but, almost always deliver, underwhelming answers? Here’s an example from Richard Eskow, probably the best writer at Campaign for the American Future.

How do we restore the good name of government spending, which is especially important during periods of high unemployment and slow growth like these? First, by supporting those politicians who are unafraid to make the case. Second, by demanding that the reluctant ones take a bolder stand – without mixing their messages between spending and premature austerity. Third, by rejecting the insanity that today’s Republican Party represents. Some in the GOP are even opposing infrastructure spending – as America’s bridges, schools, highways and dams decay around us.

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63 Comments

Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged Campaign for the American Future, debt, democrats, fixing the debt without breaking america, full recovery, High Value Platinum Coin Seigniorage, HVPCS deficit, medicare, MMT, modern money theory, republicans, Richard Eskow, rule of law, safety net, Social Security

What that Letter Should Have Said

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 6 comments

By Joe Firestone

On Valentine’s Day, Senator Bernie Sanders sent a letter to the President, authored by himself and signed by 15 other Senators, all Democrats. The letter was a response to the rumors that the President intends to include his Chained CPI proposal to cut Social Security benefits in the budget he will soon send to Congress. It summarized:

“Mr. President: These are tough times for our country. With the middle class struggling and more people living in poverty than ever before, we urge you not to propose cuts in your budget to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid benefits which would make life even more difficult for some of the most vulnerable people in America.

We look forward to working with you in support of the needs of the elderly, the children, the sick and the poor – and all working Americans.”

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6 Comments

Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged bernie sanders, CBO, chained CPI, debt, deficit, democrats, fixing the debt without breaking america, medicaid, medicare, President Obama, republicans, safety net, Senators, Social Security

Correcting the Poor: The Civilizing Impulses of Homo Corporatus and Private Charities

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Devin Smith | 14 comments

By Falguni A. Sheth
Crossposted at Translation Exercises

Should anyone—the state or any other source–have an obligation to interfere with you to bring your best, flourishing, self about?

Certainly, this is the debate that philosophers such as Isaiah Berlin and libertarians such as Robert Nozick have engaged in heartily, with a view to socialist frameworks that redistribute resources in order to produce selected kinds of outcomes. Should the state impose certain ideals and goals upon you, and why? There are also numerous examples of good state-imposed expectations such as seatbelts or prohibitions against drunk driving, as well as terrible examples, such as state-imposed prohibitions on certain kinds of drugs.

In a neoliberal era, the corollary to above question is whether non-state organizations should have the ability to interfere with you in order to bring your best, flourishing, self about?

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14 Comments

Posted in Falguni A. Sheth

Tagged #poverty, groceryships, Homo Corporatus, neoliberalism

Dear Dr. Krugman: Please Let Me Explain

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 15 comments

By Joe Firestone

Paul Krugman can’t explain why the deficit issue has suddenly dropped off the agenda. He says:

. . . quite suddenly the whole thing has dropped off the agenda.

You could say that this reflects the dwindling of the deficit — but that’s old news; anyone doing the math saw this coming quite a while ago. Or you could mention the failure of the often-predicted financial crisis to arrive — but after so many years of being wrong, why should a few months more have caused the deficit scolds to disappear in a puff of smoke?

Why indeed are they so quiet? Could it be because the deficit hawks have succeeded in getting the short-term result they want, which is a likely deficit too small to sustain the private savings and import desires of most Americans, and also because the political climate is such right now that they cannot make progress on their longer term entitlement-cutting program until after the coming elections have resolved the issue of whether there will be strong resistance to such a campaign if they renew it? Let’s look at the budget outlook first.

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15 Comments

Posted in Joe Firestone

Tagged CBO, debt, deficit, deficit hawks, democrats, entitlement cuts, Eurozone, medicare, paul krugman, Peter G. Peterson, republicans, Social Security, Warrn Buffett

Essays in Monetary Theory and Policy: On the Nature of Money (10)

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Devin Smith | 19 comments

By A. Clayton Slawson III*

In today’s economic market, people tend to think excessively about money whether to spend on essential or discretionary goods and services, savings or which investment options to choose, or even the current topic du hour in Washington, whether there is too much or too little money floating around! Many “arm chair” economists, lacking the knowledge of our economic history, stop at these basic thoughts however, and thus never fully understand money in terms of its identity, origin, or even how today’s currencies became of value in the first place. Just as these concerns can vary person to person, so too can the very definition of money and how currency adopts value. In order to better understand the “nature of money,” this paper will utilize the frameworks of both the Orthodox school and the Heterodox schools of thought to provide a basic understanding of money in their respective approaches, which will set up a clear argument for why one approach is more advantageous for guiding economies toward full employment. Undoubtedly, any weekend warrior economists will be better prepared for discussions on money at the conclusion of this paper.

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19 Comments

Posted in Guest Blogger

Tagged Monetary Essay Series

Spain, Italy, and France: Economic Failures that Will Soon be Political Failures

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Devin Smith | 16 comments

By William K. Black

The troika has consigned one-third of the Eurozone to a gratuitous Great Depression

I have written several articles recently describing Spain’s continuing Great Depression levels of unemployment and the absurdity of the troika’s policies with regard to the “threat” presented by “deflation.” The troika consists of the European Commission, the European Central Bank (ECB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

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16 Comments

Posted in William K. Black

Tagged depression, France, Italy, mario draghi, Ollie Rehn, spain, troika

Consumer Activism and the Biopolitics of Consumption

Posted on February 13, 2014 by Devin Smith | 8 comments

By Falguni A. Sheth
This post was originally posted Translation Exercises on Feb. 12, 2014

Last month, I wrote an article about former financier Sam Polk, whose move from Wall Street to Groceryships has been celebrated as an example of the 1% awakening to a moral conscience. Groceryships is a charity that gives “grocery scholarships” to “poor moms” in order, ostensibly, to alleviate their meager budgets for healthy foods. But the scholarships come with many strings attached: to swear an allegiance to want to be healthy; commitments to attend weekly nutrition classes, do homework, take cooking classes. More on Groceryships in my next piece.

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8 Comments

Posted in Falguni A. Sheth

Tagged biopolitics, consumer activism, neoliberalism

What Now?

Posted on February 12, 2014 by Joe Firestone | 61 comments

By Joe Firestone

Today, John Boehner bowed to the inevitable logic of the impending political season and placed a “clean” debt ceiling increase bill on the floor of the House. At this writing, the bill passed with 28 Republican and 193 Democratic votes. Now it moves on to the Senate, where it is expected to pass in time to allow the Treasury to keep issuing debt instruments.

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