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Great Recession and Deficit Spending

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Great Recession Deficit spending Deficit spending refers to the extent at which the government expenditure exceeds revenue over the financial period. This is the opposite of budget surplus. We may apply the term to an individual, private company or government budget (Brux, 2011). Advantages An economic downturn automatically paves way to a decline in taxation and an increase in government spending. This causes deficit. Nevertheless, if the government tries to reverse the situation by increasing tax rates, it would further result in a deflated economy leading to more unemployment and lower economic growth. A negative multiplier effect may give rise to an increase in deficit. Thus, deficit increases AD in a recession (Carbaugh, 2011). If the US economy were experiencing a market failure like under provision of public transport or education, the government would be advised to increase expenditure on these areas. In the end, this may lead to a rise in productivity, which in future, it will cause a high economic growth rate and increased tax revenues. Nevertheless, government spending does not necessarily cause a rise in productivity. The US government has promised to increase expenditure on NHS that is expected to orchestrate a rise in the economy. However, this sort of extended spending is uncertain to increase the rate of economic growth (Boyes & Melvin, 2008). Disadvantages Deficit spending is often applied in a political context. However, it can be applied in

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