Deficit Financing in Contemporary Economies: Effects and Implications

Ann Pettifor’s paper on deficit financing elucidates how Keynesian policies in times of economic slumps reduce public deficits. A public misconception is that during economic downturns, increasing government expenditure will worsen the deficit. Deficit financing aims to increase economic output via creating/salvaging jobs and increasing productivity. Thus, the temporary increase in spending creates a long-term increase in economic output, so the size of the deficit in relation to GDP ultimately decreases. However, effective targeting of government expenditure is critical if it is to benefit the economy. Evidence from the United States, Taiwan, and Bangladesh, shows how deficit financing used effectively, and not solely to gain political capital, is necessary to produce economic growth.