With the US Federal Reserve set to maintain its monetary stimulus, and congressional deadlock forcing the US government to shut down – and, worse, raising the prospect of default – America has become the wildcard of the global economy. Project Syndicate’s contributors assess the domestic and international implications of America's polarizing economic policies and dysfunctional politics.
Oct 2, 2013 on the constitutional roots of America's fiscal crisis.
Oct 1, 2013 What a US Default Would Mean for America and the World
Sep 25, 2013 on the Fed and why continuing QE is a bad idea.
The worse economic fundamentals and forecasts become, the more mysterious stock-market outcomes in the US appear. At a time when genuine news suggests that equity prices should be tanking, not hitting record highs, explanations based on crowd psychology, the virality of ideas, and the dynamics of narrative epidemics can shed some light.
Many Western economists presume that governments are not very good at identifying industries that merit support, and that domestic consumers and taxpayers incur the bulk of the costs. By the same logic, if Chinese policymakers effectively targeted activities where social benefits exceed private benefits, then it is not clear why foreigners should complain.
