A policy of low interest rates is a textbook response of monetary authorities to the economic weakness brought on by deficient aggregate demand. The policy is justified by pointing to various ways in which money can promote economic activity—including by stimulating investment, discouraging savings,...

One of the gravest sins of modern economics is its tendency to treat resources, both capital and labor, as essentially homogenous aggregates. Capital is more or less interchangeable with other capital, and labor is treated much the same. One reason for this is that such homogeneity and aggregation make...

I have been reading Buying at the Point of Maximum Pessimism (FT Press, 2010), by Scott Phillips. Before introducing his “six value investment trends” he devotes close to 100 pages to describe what went wrong in the US economy. When he addresses current inflationary policies, he states “Technology...

By ALLAN H. MELTZER –  President Obama is the victim of bad advice and misinformation. From his advisers, the Democratic caucus and the New York Times, he hears that markets have failed and the country needs more government spending to increase consumer spending. He is told that any plan to...

On Wednesday, August 4, Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner debated the Bush tax cuts with Douglas Hotz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum. It was not much of a debate. With Geithner and Holtz-Eakin joined by the third panelist, John Podesta, president and CEO of Center for American Progress,...