At a recent symposium, “The Great Economic Debate of the Decade” several panelists were asked to state their opinions on aggregate demand and aggregate supply.
Panelist 1 stated that he believed shifts in both aggregate demand and aggregate supply were driven primarily by changes in technology over time.
Panelist 2 stated that she believed the focus of economic policy should be to directly increase aggregate demand by increasing the money supply or through fiscal policy.
The views of Panelist 1 and Panelist 2 would best be described as which economic school of thought?
The classical economists believe that shifts in both aggregate demand and aggregate supply are primarily driven by changes in technology over time. Keynesian economists believe that aggregate demand can be increased through monetary policy (increasing the money supply) or through fiscal policy (increasing government spending, decreasing taxes, or both). They do not focus on aggregate supply. Monetarists believe that the main factor leading to business cycles and deviations from full-employment equilibrium is monetary policy. |