J. Bradford DeLong is Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. He was Deputy Assistant US Treasury Secretary during the Clinton Administration, where he was heavily involved in budget and trade negotiations. His role in designing the bailout of Mexico during the 1994 peso crisis placed him at the forefront of Latin America’s transformation into a region of open economies, and cemented his stature as a leading voice in economic-policy debates.
伯克利——从2003年起,我一直在说全球经济陷入了严重的状态失衡,很容易爆发宏观经济灾难,从而导致现代社会最严重的经济危机。2004年以后,我一直在说这场危机一旦爆发,情况可能会在一年之内变得明了:届时我们就能清楚地知道全球经济究竟是能成功地自我修正,还是就此开始进入下降的螺旋。2004-2007年,我认为世界经济灾难能够得到较快解决的观点可能犯了错误:正如已故的鲁迪·多恩布什所说的那样,不可持续的宏观经济失衡状态的持续时间可能超过经济学家(他们令人感动的坚信人类能够理性地进行决策)的想象和预期。
但是在1年前,也就是2007年8月次贷灾难发生后,我的思路逐渐变得清晰。这次危机必须在一年内顺利解决——否则就会带来其他问题。或者各国央行能够以某种方式穿针引线,引导汇率和资产价格回归到某种稳定而且可以持续的平衡状态,或者金融市场的混乱和破坏将会波及到实体经济领域,从而引发一次大规模的全球经济低迷。第二种情况发生的概率远远超过第一种:那就是爆发全球经济危机。
可惜我错了。现在,整整一年之后,局势仍然在刀尖上维持着一种微妙的平衡。
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