preview

Essay on The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008

Good Essays

In The Return of Depression Economics and the Crisis of 2008, Paul Krugman warns us that America’s gloomy future might parallel those of other countries. Like diseases that are making a stronger, more resistant comeback, the causes of the Great Depression are looming ahead and much more probable now after the great housing bubble in 2002. In his new and revised book, he emphasizes even more on the busts of Japan and the crises in Latin America (i.e: Argentina), and explains how and why several specific events--recessions, inflationary spiraling, currency devaluations--happened in many countries. Although he still does not give us any solid options or specific steps to take to save America other than those proposed by other economists, he …show more content…

Much of the marketplace today is both political and economical and therefore, too powerful to defend against without any government interference. Unfortunately, much of America did not heed Krugman’s warnings when his first book was released in 1999 because America was still rising high. Technology and the top businesses of the day were just starting and booming very fast and smoothly. While technology and internet giants such as Google were growing, the United States’ government’s budget surplus was also increasing. Yet, our government departments--Federal Research and Congress still insisted that capitalism should be a free market--that it will save itself, that regulating credit default swaps was unnecessary. Americans were overconfident with their past successes and forgot to look to other countries as models. Now, lasseiz-faire has turned around to bite America in the butt. Krguman’s new book was published to remind us again of his old theory--that any financial institution will fail if left unregulated and that the people must urge the government to use its powers to promote growth in a new direction. The first part of his book introduces his argument that if the government does not start cracking down on businesses now, it will be confronted with even tougher choices in the future: do not print money and let citizens suffer immediately or print money and let them suffer anyway later. Clearly, both scenarios are not particularly

Get Access