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The Deficit Myth

Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy

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The Deficit Myth

Written by: Stephanie Kelton
Narrated by: Stephanie Kelton
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About this listen

A New York Times best seller

The leading thinker and most visible public advocate of modern monetary theory - the freshest and most important idea about economics in decades - delivers a radically different, bold, new understanding for how to build a just and prosperous society.

Stephanie Kelton's brilliant exploration of modern monetary theory (MMT) dramatically changes our understanding of how we can best deal with crucial issues ranging from poverty and inequality to creating jobs, expanding health care coverage, climate change, and building resilient infrastructure. Any ambitious proposal, however, inevitably runs into the buzz saw of how to find the money to pay for it, rooted in myths about deficits that are hobbling us as a country.

Kelton busts through the myths that prevent us from taking action: that the federal government should budget like a household, that deficits will harm the next generation, crowd out private investment, and undermine long-term growth, and that entitlements are propelling us toward a grave fiscal crisis.

MMT, as Kelton shows, shifts the terrain from narrow budgetary questions to one of broader economic and social benefits. With its important new ways of understanding money, taxes, and the critical role of deficit spending, MMT redefines how to responsibly use our resources so that we can maximize our potential as a society. MMT gives us the power to imagine a new politics and a new economy and move from a narrative of scarcity to one of opportunity.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2020 Stephanie Kelton (P)2020 PublicAffairs
Deficit Economics Public Policy US Economy Economic disparity Business Economic Inequality Economic Policy Great Recession Deflation Modern Economic Theory
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What the critics say

"Kelton's mission in this powerful book is to free us from defunct orthodox thinking about fiscal deficits rooted in the bygone era of the gold standard. Her theoretical canvas is modern monetary theory. At its core MMT offers a simple proposition: In a fiat currency world, the finances of we the people ain't the same as a summing up of our individual budget constraints, because we the people can't go broke, only deficit-spend our collective self into inflationary excesses. In the prevailing era of too-low inflation, the macro policy implication should be obvious: We the people presently have far more fiscal space than the deficit scold, pay-for crowd preaches. Kelton is a gifted writer and teacher and I confidently predict that The Deficit Myth, brilliantly written and argued, will become the defining book on what MMT is - and what it is not." (Paul Allen McCulley, retired managing director and chief economist, PIMCO, and senior fellow, Cornell University Law School)

"Kelton's game-changing book on the myths around government deficits is both theoretically rigorous and empirically entertaining. It reminds us that money is not limited, only our imagination of what to do with it. After you read it you will never think of the public purse as a household economy again. Read it!" (Mariana Mazzucato, author of The Value of Everything: Making and Taking in the Global Economy)

"A remarkable book both in content and timing. A 'must-read' that is sure to influence many aspects of policymaking going forward." (Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor, Allianz)

What listeners say about The Deficit Myth

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Great read about government finances

This is a great read and the presented ideas go contrary to what politicians on both side of the spectrum want us to believe.
I was first resistant to the notion that government deficits don’t really matter (given the government is the sole owner of the currency), and how deficit spending should be used to drive the economy. This is a really hot topic these days during the CV19 pandemic. It all makes a lot of sense, question then is; why don’t law makers adopt that approach?
Simple, as the author points out, government deficits are no fiscal problem, but a political tool both sides of the spectrum use to stoke fiscal fear and to garner for votes. It’s a powerful and effective tool, no wonder most politicians don’t want to surrender that.
Really should be a must read in high school and university courses.

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Brilliant

Everyone should take this book to heart. Tell your friends. The process outlined may be our only hope of fixing our broken democracy.

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A good read

This book presented clear, concise ideas in an easy to understand format. I will explore the content more as it strikes me as a controversial thesis, as appealing as it is.

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A blueprint for communism

I have listened to a number of books on economics and monetary Theory and this is by far the craziest one I've encountered

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worth the read!

What a fascinating read; changes the way you look at the world. Read it and challenge the myths that trap us all.

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Fantastic book - Recommend to Everyone

I recommend this to anyone who has ever questioned "how are you going to pay for it?" when talking about fiscal policy. This can be a wonderful gift for your friends and families, even if they are not particularly fond of economics. While I highly recommend this book to any audience, students of political science and economics may find it truly eye-opening. I find MMT is not well discussed in Canada - I hope this book facilitates more conversations on MMT here. I love her narration! It was as though I was listening to her lecture at a conference.

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Should be required reading

This is basically required reading for those of us on the left who are always asked "where is the money going to come from?" when we suggest that social programs are a good thing. It gives you all the answers.

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Great addition to mental map

Very helpful for understanding what the fed is thinking as part of their medium term strategy. Adds bounding constraints mainly MMT requires congress to be full effective. Without congress impact is quite lobsided and results in asset inflation.

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Important Book

A fascinating rethink of public fiscal policy. Ought to be required reading for anyone running for office... Or voting, for that matter.

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An excellent introduction for a complicated topic.

The deficit myth was a very interesting read even if you are not well versed in economics. The book breaks down the traditional view about monetary policy and argues that with fundamental changes to the economics of currency, trade and politics, policy makers are unaware that they have more power at their discretion than they realise.

I was skeptical of MMT the first I've heard of it, but after reading Ray Dalio's 'Big Debt Crises' books I started realising that traditional views on money, debt, and inflation are all outdated with the current economic framework, and that policies that were once thought of as unaffordable are now you can't not afford to do.

Of course, I have a few criticisms. Stephanie argues that the best way to use MMT from a policy making standpoint is to create automatic stabilisers that adjust funding based on current economic conditions (jobs guarantee/Medicare). While I agree with this viewpoint I still find it very difficult to put trust into politicians hands that they won't create a runaway inflation problem down the road because of all the good it can do (think Venezuela). I also am not completely convinced with a Job Guarantee program because she doesn't really create a solid argument for what those jobs are going to be. Yes, she mentions that we should have a job guarantee focused around a "care-centered economy" but ignores the capability of the government to actually act as an employer competing against the private sector. Say you're a manufacturer or an IT technician, under a job guarantee you'd likely either a) have to be retrained because the gov doesn't manufacturer anything or b) probably not do much work at all if the total capacity of labor for a particular field is already satisfied. However, her explanation of how the job guarantee is a public option in the labor market is very convincing so perhaps it deserves more attention from the experts.

One thing I was disappointed to not hear in this book was any reference to Universal Basic Income, something I think some MMT economists would agree with. UBI has a lot of better arguments for it than a jobs guarantee in my opinion, and is extended to a greater sum of the population. It also actively redistributes wealth and allows greater labor market flexibility than the jobs guarantee relying more on the private sector efficiency than the government. But perhaps there's plenty of other topics out there.

All in all, I enjoyed listening this audiobook, and I think everyone would too. Now more than ever, monetary and fiscal policymakers must work together to ensure we advance our economy to the next stage and we must stop asking silly questions like how are we going to pay for it. Investment in our education, health, infrastructure and industry will more than itself pay for it in the long run.

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