Fiscal Policy in an Unemployment Crisis

Pontus Rendahl

No 9992, CEPR Discussion Papers from Centre for Economic Policy Research

Abstract: This paper shows that large fiscal multipliers arise naturally from equilibrium unemployment dynamics. In response to a shock that brings the economy into a liquidity trap, an expansion in government spending increases output and causes a fall in the unemployment rate. Since movements in unemployment are persistent, the effects of current spending linger into the future, leading to an enduring rise in income. As an enduring rise in income boosts private demand, even a temporary increase in government spending sets in motion a virtuous employment-spending spiral with a large associated multiplier. This transmission mechanism contrasts with the conventional view in which fiscal policy may be efficacious only under a prolonged and committed rise in government spending, which engineers a spiral of increasing inflation.

Keywords: Fiscal multiplier; Liquidity trap; Unemployment inertia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E62 J64 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014-05
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (43)

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Related works:
Journal Article: Fiscal Policy in an Unemployment Crisis (2016)
Working Paper: Fiscal Policy in an Unemployment Crisis (2014)
Working Paper: Fiscal Policy in an Unemployment Crisis (2014)
Working Paper: Fiscal policy in an unemployment crisis (2014)
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