The Great Recession is more than four years old
- & counting. Yet as Nobel Prize winning author Paul Krugman argues in this powerful new book Nations rich in resources talent & knowledge
- all the ingredients for prosperity & a decent standard of living for all
- remain in a state of intense pain." In End This Depression Now! Krugman shows how the failure of regulation to keep pace with an increasingly out-of-control financial system positioned the United States & the world as a whole for the greatest financial crisis since the 1930s. Decrying the tepid response thus far he lays out the steps that must be taken to free ourselves & turn around a world economy stagnating in deep recession. His is a powerful message: a strong recovery is only one step away if our leaders find the intellectual clarity & political will to see it through. What about the UK? In his chapter on " Austerians" Krugman states that only one government is "engaging in unforced austerity because it believed in the confidence fairy: Prime Minster David Cameron's government in Britain." He describes how Cameron's policies are based primarily to build confidence. However "business confidence fell to levels not seen since the worst of the crisis & consumer confidence fell even below the levels of 2008-9. The result is an economy that remains deeply depressed... Yet Cameron & Osborne remain adamant that they will not change course." Krugman praises the Bank of England which continues to do what it can to mitigate the slump. What about Europe? Krugman looks at whether the economic collapse in Europe would have happened regardless of the US crash what the causes of the European crisis were & why it came as such a shock. The romance of the idea of the single currency led European leaders to brush aside the known objections & the risks in a crisis were never addressed. He discusses how long the euro will be seen as a unifying currency when there are such stark differences between the economic situations of countries that have adopted it. Peripheral European countries are now entering austerity-induced depressions & they are systematically denying a future to their young people. Leaving the euro looks as though it may be the last chance for the worst hit countries with no realistic alternative for recovery. The prognosis for the core of Europe does not have to be so bleak but countries must act now. Worryingly though every small uptick in the economic news is being used to shore up the austerity mantra. This is Krugman at his best
- direct clear never afraid to apportion blame at any level. A passionate plea for common sense dedicated "to the unemployed who deserve better" End This Depression Now! will become an instant cornerstone in the debate over how to respond to the crisis. With characteristic lucidity & insight Krugman pursues the questions of how bad the situation really is how we got stuck in what can now be called a depression & above all how we free ourselves. He has a powerful message for anyone who has suffered over these past four years
- a quick strong recovery is just one step away if our leaders can find the "intellectual clarity & political will" to end this depression now."