stimulus (economics)

How the predominant ideology of our time survived the pandemic.

The fight over the American Jobs Plan reflects a long history of competing visions of public works—and, most of all, who should benefit from rebuilding.

Pittsburgh’s Lower Hill District was razed by the federal government 65 years ago. Now developers are testing the question of how to correct for a racist past.

The famed economist’s theories were embraced by Beltway power brokers in both parties. Finally, a Democratic president is turning the page on a legacy of ruin.

In the 60s and 70s, spiraling prices for staples like meat and gasoline wreaked havoc on the U.S. economy, thanks to political and policy mistakes.

Robert Mundell’s theories spawned decades of economic debate and still matter to the big ideas of today.

Technology can break down, but just as often with government tech, glitches are rooted in policy failures.

Socialised investment and the spectre of full employment.

Claims that the programs adopted in the 1930s lengthened the Great Depression don’t hold up.

During the Depression, business leaders knew that public works funding was key to economic growth. Why have we forgotten that lesson?

Grassroots support for public banks early in the 20th century revealed the popularity of socialism-aligned economic ideas.

The history of food inflation during World War I, and the riots that halted it, show how capitalists take advantage of consumer expectations to price gouge.

Politicians across the political spectrum warn of a return to the decade of stagflation, urban decay, and labor mutiny; but their solution misses the mark.

An excerpt from "The Hidden History of Neoliberalism."

The history of rural electrification demonstrates why vital public utilities cannot be left to the machinations of the market.

For economist Albert Hirschman, social planning meant creative experimentation rather than theoretical certainty.

Inflation isn't inexorably a bad thing. In fact, it used to be considered good.

The Biden administration’s proposed “child allowances” draw on the feminist thought of Crystal Eastman, who advocated “motherhood endowments” 100 years ago.

How the myth of the overburdened white taxpayer was made.

Grass-roots pressure will be key to turning the idea into reality.

The idea of a modern nation is both confusing and conflicting. And as the world confronts the current global health crisis, its weaknesses become more apparent.

Today, we can learn a lot from the popularizing efforts that led to that consensus that Keynesianism leads to and long-lasting economic success.

While "meds and eds" have powered urban economies, they haven't been the gateway out of poverty that many hoped.

The role of "big government" in American history.

Understanding how inflation came to be a mainstay in modern economics.