Get Free Shipping on orders over $79
The Goals of Macroeconomic Policy - Martin Prachowny

The Goals of Macroeconomic Policy

By: Martin Prachowny

Paperback | 16 June 1994 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback


$234.75

or 4 interest-free payments of $58.69 with

 or 

Ships in 15 to 25 business days

Politicians win elections by promising "Jobs Jobs Jobs " but in practice these promises quickly fall by the wayside. "The Goals of Macroeconomic Policy" analyzes why governments so rarely achieve their economic goals. Martin F. J. Prachowny argues that full employment should not be the primary objective of economic policy. He shows that Pareto optimality--the guiding principle of policy evaluation--does not apply to macroeconomic policies and that full employment is essentially a political aim.
The book is divided into three sections. The first is historical: it examines the limited literature on the optimality of macroeconomic goals and the record of successive governments in achieving the goals they have set. The second part presents a theory of the labor market, and an evaluation of welfare changes from rising or falling real wages.
The concluding part looks at public choice decisions, especially those related to spending and taxation, from an individualistic perspective. Although originally intended to show what sacrifices are necessary in collective decisions, the aim is now to maximize your own benefit from government spending and to avoid as much of the burden of taxation as possible. The resulting "free-rider problem" creates budget deficits which are no longer countercyclical but are tolerated because they have no adverse welfare consequences for the current population; instead they leave future generations saddled with extra interest payments on the accumulated debt. A number of possible ways of avoiding unnecessary budget deficits are explored without much hope for success.

More in Macroeconomics

Beyond Money : A Postcapitalist Strategy - Anitra Nelson

RRP $41.95

$33.75

20%
OFF
Skin in the Game : Hidden Asymmetries in Daily Life - Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Equality Is a Struggle : Bulletins from the Front Line, 2021-2025 - Thomas Piketty
Limitarianism : The Case Against Extreme Wealth - Ingrid Robeyns

RRP $26.99

$22.99

15%
OFF
Foundations of Macroeconomics - Jade Murphy
Economics : The Economist Guide - Philip Coggan
Mastering The Market Cycle : Getting the odds on your side - Howard Marks
The Road to Freedom : Economics and the Good Society - Joseph Stiglitz
Macroeconomics : 5th Edition - Olivier Blanchard

RRP $165.95

$144.99

13%
OFF