The Macroeconomic Policy Paradox: Failing by Succeeding

First Published September 25, 2013 Research Article
First Published Online: September 25, 2013

While objections can be (and have been) raised, the U.S. government’s multifaceted macroeconomic policy responses to the financial crisis after September 2008 appear to have been quite effective. Yet, politically, they are more reviled than admired. The paradox is that economic success—in the sense of averting much worse outcomes—turned into political failure. This article asks why.

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