Mark Blyth is Professor of International Political Economy in the Department of Political Science at Brown University and a Faculty Fellow at Brown's Watson Institute for International Studies
Governments today in both Europe and the United States have succeeded in casting government spending as reckless wastefulness that has made the economy worse. In contrast, they have advanced a policy of draconian budget cuts – austerity – to solve the financial crisis. We are told that we have all lived beyond our means and now need to tighten our belts. This view conveniently forgets where all that debt came from. Not from an orgy of government spending, but as the direct result of bailing out, recapitalizing, and adding liquidity to the broken banking system. Watch Professor Mark Blyth disucss the main themes of his latest book at Google Talks: Austerity – The History of a Dangerous Idea
to watch the 1 hr 7 min lecture by Mark Blyth from May 6, 2013, click on
http://www.social-europe.eu/2013/06/austerity-the-history-of-a-dangerous-idea/
Original: VIDEO: Austerity - The History of a Dangerous Idea