John Maynard Keynes Versus Friederich A. Hayek

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Two major economic thinkers of the of the early twentieth century, John Maynard Keynes and Friedrich A. Hayek, hold very different economic viewpoints. Keynes is among the most famous economic philosophers. Keynes, who's theories gained a reputation during the Great Depression in the 1930s, focused mainly on an economy's bust. It is where the economy declines and finally bottoms-out, that Keynesian economics believes the answers lie for its eventual recovery. On the other hand, Hayek believed that in studying the boom answers would be provided to lead the economy out of the bust that was sure to follow. Hayek backed the Austrian school of economics.

John Maynard Keynes fostered a school of thought that came to be known after him, Keynesian economics. His theories were born out of the era of the Great Depression. His ideas centered around the "bust" of the economy which of course during this time period would refer to the Stock Market Crash of 1929. A key assumption in Keynesian economics is that the short-run aggregate supply curve(SRAS) is horizontal. The horizontal SRAS coupled with the fact that the equilibrium level of real GDP is demand-driven, makes inflation impossible. This means in the short-run there is no change in the price level. In addition to those, there are a few more key assumptions the Keynesian model is based on: businesses pay no direct taxes, they distribute all of their profits to shareholders, gross private domestic investment is equal to net investment, and the economy is closed to foreign trade (Miller 246). These, however, are not the only differences between the Keynesian and classical models. According to the classical model, the amount of is savings directly determined by the savings rate. Keynes...

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...apply at certain heights of an economy seem to unstable. Hayek explained that when you simply pump money into an economy, inflation occurs and capital decreases in value. Now, that's an idea you don't need t o take an economics class to be able to wrap your head around. Stimulating the economy through direct relief does not seem like and effective escape from a recession or a depression because the money the citizens receive goes to the national deficit and will have to eventually be paid back (with interest).

Works Cited

EconStories. "'Fear the Boom and Bust' a Hayek vs. Keynes Rap Anthem." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 23 Jan. 2010. Web. 18 Apr. 2011.

"Friedrich August Hayek: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics." Library of Economics and Liberty. Web. 20 Apr. 2011.

Miller, Roger LeRoy. Economics Today. 9th ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1997. Print.

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