Austerity: Causes, Consequences and Remedies

22 Pages Posted: 30 Apr 2012

Date Written: April 30, 2012

Abstract

Austerity is a concept that is often used in the public debate. It refers to fiscal policy measures that reduce government spending and raise taxes for the purposes of closing a government budget deficit. This paper analyzes the concept in the context of the current European economic crisis and explains the limited options for policies to counter the negative effects of austerity.

Keywords: Macroeconomics, Fiscal policy, The Welfare State, Budget deficit

JEL Classification: D60, E60, H00, H11, H50, H59, H60, H61, H62, H63

Suggested Citation

Larson, Sven R., Austerity: Causes, Consequences and Remedies (April 30, 2012). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2048739 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2048739

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