http://www.alternet.org/economy/why-stupid-politics-cause-our-economic-problems?akid=12721.294211.PPb-25&rd=1&src=newsletter1030924&t=5
In 2014, the world economy remained stuck in the same rut that it
has been in since emerging from the 2008 global financial crisis.
Despite seemingly strong government action in Europe and the United
States, both economies suffered deep and prolonged downturns. The gap
between where they are and where they most likely would have been had
the crisis not erupted is huge. In Europe, it increased over the course
of the year.
Developing countries fared better, but even there the
news was grim. The most successful of these economies, having based
their growth on exports, continued to expand in the wake of the
financial crisis, even as their export markets struggled. But their
performance, too, began to diminish significantly in 2014.
In 1992, Bill Clinton based his successful campaign for the U.S. presidency on a simple slogan: "It's the economy, stupid."From
today's perspective, things then do not seem so bad; the typical
American household's income is now lower. But we can take inspiration
from Clinton's effort. The malaise afflicting today's global economy
might be best reflected in two simple slogans: "It's the politics,
stupid" and "Demand, demand, demand."
The
near-global stagnation witnessed in 2014 is man-made. It is the result
of politics and policies in several major economies -- politics and
policies that choked off demand. In the absence of demand, investment
and jobs will fail to materialize. It is that simple.
No comments:
Post a Comment