Macroeconomic Strategy in Wartime

James Tobin

No 1357, Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers from Cowles Foundation, Yale University

Abstract: In 2001-02 the United States has been hit by two quite different shocks, terrorism and recession. As usual in time of war, national defense is the highest priority for use of the country's resources. Although the opportunities for international warfare are limited, the challenges to the homeland are virtually unlimited. The president's fiscal year 2003 budget includes $48 billion additional for the military and $38 billion additional for homeland defense. Given the gravity of the threat, it is hard to understand why new expenditures are not undertaken as soon as and as large as possible. This would also be timely for stimulus to the economy, more effective than tax cuts and other proposals - with the nation in peril, the country is ready to make sacrifices, not to enjoy further tax reductions. Pearl Harbor in December 1941 occurred with the economy not yet recovered from the Great Depression, with unemployment still 10 per cent. Expenditures for war were increased sharply and rapidly, and full employment was restored in 1943.

Keywords: Fiscal; War; Recession; Stimulus; Tax; Deficit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E6 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2002-03

Published in Challenge

Downloads: (external link)
http://cowles.econ.yale.edu/P/cd/d13b/d1357.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: http://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cwl:cwldpp:1357

Ordering information: This working paper can be ordered from
Cowles Foundation, Yale University, Box 208281, New Haven, CT 06520-8281 USA
The price is None.

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Cowles Foundation Discussion Papers from Cowles Foundation, Yale University
Address: Yale University, Box 208281, New Haven, CT 06520-8281 USA
Contact information at EDIRC.
Series data maintained by Glena Ames ().