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Demand Side Secular Stagnation

Lawrence H. Summers

American Economic Review · 2015 · Volume 105 · Issue 5

DOI: 10.1257/aer.p20151103

Abstract

The experience of first Japan and now Europe and the USA suggests that Hansen's concept of secular stagnation is highly relevant. Recovery has been anemic and follows a generation of financially unsustainable and often lackluster growth. Investment demand has declined while the supply of saving has increased, leaving the economy vulnerable to liquidity traps. Although some US indicators have improved, forward real rates have declined sharply, European prospects remain muddled, and the zero-bound will likely constrain again during the next recession. Infrastructure and private investment are the best ways to both minimize the risk of secular stagnation and raise demand.

Keywords

Macroeconomics: Production, Employment, Unemployment, Wages, Intergenerational Income Distribution, Aggregate Human Capital, Aggregate Labor Productivity, Price Level, Inflation, Deflation, Business Fluctuations, Cycles, National Deficit, Surplus, Empirical Studies of Economic Growth, Aggregate Productivity, Cross-Country Output Convergence

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