The United States's search for economic stability through the twentieth century is a fascinating saga of triumphs and catastrophes, of theorists and policy-makers, of world and domestic events, and of politics and politicians. In this new book by the respected teacher and scholar Kenneth Weiher, readers are given a clear and concise tool for understanding the history of government stabilization policy and therefore contemporary economic conditions and policy changes. America's Search for Economic Stability is the product of synthesizing hundreds of sources in order to present a solid descriptive history of the evolution of government stabilization policy. Readers are guided through eight decades of analysis: from before the creation of the Federal Reserve, when virtually no policy existed; through the 1910s and 1920s, when monetary policy was in its early stages of development; through the 1930s, with their cataclysmic policy errors; through the 1940s to early 1960s, when Keynesian fiscal policy was ascendant; through the late 1960s and 1970s, when instability progressively worsened and monetarism was reborn; and finally to the 1980s, when stability was painfully but successfully reestablished. Highlighting these analyses are discussions of the development of new ideas, the application of theories in policy actions, and the people who devised the theories and implemented the policies. Throughout the presentation, readers come to understand that policymakers, in the process of seeking a formula for stabilization policy, have created far more instability than they have averted. As Weiher ably demonstrates, the government--through its incorrect interpretations of economic indicators andthrough the politicization of economic policy--has been responsible for the overwhelming majority of economic contractions and episodes of inflation occurring over the decades. Certain to spark the interest of students and teachers of history, economic history, and economics, America's Search for Economic Stability will appeal to a broad audience, for it is a guide not just to the past but to the present and future as well. Included are a preface, bibliographic essay, selected bibliography, and index.

How America's high standard of living came to be and why future growth is under threat In the century after the Civil War, an economic revolution improved the American standard of living in ways previously unimaginable. Electric lighting, indoor plumbing, motor vehicles, air travel, and television transformed households and workplaces. But has that era of unprecedented growth come to an end? Weaving together a vivid narrative, historical anecdotes, and economic analysis, The Rise and Fall of American Growth challenges the view that economic growth will continue unabated, and demonstrates that the life-altering scale of innovations between 1870 and 1970 cannot be repeated. Gordon contends that the nation's productivity growth will be further held back by the headwinds of rising inequality, stagnating education, an aging population, and the rising debt of college students and the federal government, and that we must find new solutions. A critical voice in the most pressing debates of our time, The Rise and Fall of American Growth is at once a tribute to a century of radical change and a harbinger of tougher times to come.

In Search of Stability: Explorations in Historical Political Economy ponders the issue of how Western industrial societies overcame major challenges to political and economic stability in the twentieth century. Successive essays ask: what ideological messages did American influence transmit to Europe after World War I, then again after World War II? Did Nazis and Italian fascists share an economic ideology or impose a unique economic system in the interwar period and during World War II? How do their accomplishments stack up comparatively against those of the liberal democracies? After 1945, what was the relationship between concepts of productivity and class division? How have the major experiences of twentieth-century inflation arisen out of class and interest-group rivalry? Most generally, what has been the representation of interests in capitalist political economies?

This unique volume offers a definitive new history of European economies at war from 1914 to 1918. It studies how European economies mobilised for war, how existing economic institutions stood up under the strain, how economic development influenced outcomes and how wartime experience influenced post-war economic growth. Leading international experts provide the first systematic comparison of economies at war between 1914 and 1918 based on the best available data for Britain, Germany, France, Russia, the USA, Italy, Turkey, Austria-Hungary and the Netherlands. The editors' overview draws some stark lessons about the role of economic development, the importance of markets and the damage done by nationalism and protectionism. A companion volume to the acclaimed The Economics of World War II, this is a major contribution to our understanding of total war.

Covers trends from 1957 to 1995.

Analysis of Latin America's economy focusing on development, covering the colonial roots of inequality, boom and bust cycles, labor markets, and fiscal and monetary policy. Latin America is richly endowed with natural resources, fertile land, and vibrant cultures. Yet the region remains much poorer than its neighbors to the north. Most Latin American countries have not achieved standards of living and stable institutions comparable to those found in developed countries, have experienced repeated boom-bust cycles, and remain heavily reliant on primary commodities. This book studies the historical roots of Latin America's contemporary economic and social development, focusing on poverty and income inequality dating back to colonial times. It addresses today's legacies of the market-friendly reforms that took hold in the 1980s and 1990s by examining successful stabilizations and homemade monetary and fiscal institutional reforms. It offers a detailed analysis of trade and financial liberalization, twenty–first century-growth, and the decline in poverty and income inequality. Finally, the book offers an overall analysis of inclusive growth policies for development—including gender issues and the informal sector—and the challenges that lie ahead for the region, with special attention to pressing demands by the vibrant and vocal middle class, youth unemployment, and indigenous populations.