Policies for Prosperity: Essays in a Keynesian Mode

by James Tobin

In these timely essays, Nobel prize­winning economist James Tobin shows how Keynesian economics offers corrective treatment for the economic ailments we have faced under the Ford, Carter, and Reagan administrations.Essays in the first part of the book focus on theory and policy in Keynesian economics, particularly on the modern anti-Keynesian movements of the 1970s and 1980s. Tobin's writings on the events, controversies, doctrines, and policies of the Reagan era make up the book's second section, Essays in part three continue to discuss the Reagan revolution, focusing on fiscal policies and presenting some general macroeconomic principles that can be invoked to remedy the situation; those in part four are concerned more specifically with the conduct of monetary policy. A fifth section addresses inflation stagflation, and unemployment, recommending income policies that Tobin believes must become a "permanent tool of macroeconomic policy." The book concludes with several essays on various aspects of political economy, including a timely reminder that economic policies should serve ethical values.

522 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1987

About the author

James Tobin was an American economist who served on the Council of Economic Advisers and the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, and taught at Harvard and Yale Universities. He developed the ideas of Keynesian economics, and advocated government intervention to stabilize output and avoid recessions.