A Modest Proposal For Augmenting The Gross Domestic Product Of Italy, Allowing Greater Public Spending, Employment, And Graft

Fenoaltea, Stefano (2018): A Modest Proposal For Augmenting The Gross Domestic Product Of Italy, Allowing Greater Public Spending, Employment, And Graft.

Abstract

Italy’s economy is stagnating, but a fiscal stimulus is ruled out by the Maastricht-limited deficit/GDP ratio. This paper presents a modest proposal for loosening the constraint on public spending by augmenting Italy’s female labor-force participation rate and therewith Italy’s GDP. Additional public spending would be popular, as it would increase employment; it would also be politically viable, as Italy’s elected and appointed officials would welcome the opportunity for increased graft.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Italy; GDP; Deficit; Growth
• Subjects: A - General Economics and Teaching > A1 - General Economics > A11 - Role of Economics ; Role of Economists ; Market for Economists; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B2 - History of Economic Thought since 1925 > B23 - Econometrics ; Quantitative and Mathematical Studies; B - History of Economic Thought, Methodology, and Heterodox Approaches > B4 - Economic Methodology > B41 - Economic Methodology; E - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics > E6 - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook > E62 - Fiscal Policy; H - Public Economics > H6 - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt > H62 - Deficit ; Surplus

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