George Selgin on Contextualizing the Great Depression and its Implications on Monetary Policy Today
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Release Date: 06/02/2025
George Selgin on Contextualizing the Great Depression and its Implications on Monetary Policy Today
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
George Selgin is a senior fellow and director emeritus at the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the Cato Institute, as well as the author of the new book titled False Dawn: The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery, 1933-1947. George returns to the show to discuss the complicated economic history of the Great Depression, how that history has led us to the macro-events of 2008, 2010, and 2020, how we can apply lessons from the Great Depression to macroeconomic policy to the current moment, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded...
info_outline
Daniel Bunn on Fiscal Issues Currently Facing the US Government
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Daniel Bunn is the president and CEO of the Tax Foundation. In Daniel’s first appearance on the show, he discusses the history of tax models, the threat that tariffs make to the US economy, where we currently stand with budget reconciliation, how he would fix the tax code if he was president, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on May 2nd, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Follow Daniel on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro...
info_outline
Luca Fornaro on Hysteresis, Endogenous Growth, and Aggregate Demand Policies
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Luca Fornaro is a senior researcher at CREI and professor at both UPF and the Barcelona School of Economics. In Luca’s first appearance on the show, he discusses his expansive work on, hysteresis, stagnation traps, endogenous growth, aggregate demand policies, the medium run, population growth and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on April 23th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Follow Luca on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the...
info_outline
Adam Ozimek on Reforming the High-Skilled Immigration Process
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Adam Ozimek is the Chief Economist at the Economic Innovation Group. Adam returns to the show to discuss the importance of reforming the high-skilled immigration process, the main bottlenecks with our current green card system, the glory days of economics blogging, how to revitalize the American heartland, Trump’s current trade war, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on April 15th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Follow Adam on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the...
info_outline
Skanda Amarnath on the Future of the Federal Reserve and its Framework
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Skanda Amarnath is the executive director of Employ America. Skanda returns to the show to discuss the standing of Humphrey’s Executor, the prospects for the Fed’s Framework Review, the case for NGDP Targeting, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on April 16th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Follow Skanda on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro Musings Check out our Macro Musings to David's new BTS YouTube...
info_outline
Andy Levin on Holding the Fed Accountable
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Andy Levin is a professor of economics at Dartmouth College and longtime advisor to many central banks. Andy returns to the show to discuss his policy brief on holding the Fed accountable for its spending practices. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on April 9th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro Musings Check out our Macro Musings to David's new BTS YouTube Channel Timestamps: (00:00:00) –...
info_outline
Kathryn Judge on the Importance of Emergency Lending Facilities at the Federal Reserve
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Kathryn Judge is a law professor at Columbia University and a legal scholar of the Federal Reserve and financial policy. Kathryn returns to the show to discuss the Fed’s Emergency Lending Facilities, or 13(3) and current happenings at the Federal Reserve. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on March 27th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow Kathryn Judge on X: Follow the show on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro Musings Check out our Macro...
info_outline
Paul Blustein on the Rise, Dominance, and Current Challenges to King Dollar
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Paul Blustein is a former Washington Post and Wall Street Journal journalist who has authored several acclaimed books on global economic institutions. In Paul’s first appearance on the show, he discusses the historical rise of the dollar, it’s present-day power, how it compares to other global currencies, current challenges to its power, the rise of crypto, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on March 26th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow Paul Blustein on X: Follow the show on X: Check out...
info_outline
Bill Nelson on the Future of Central Bank Operating Systems
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Bill Nelson is a Chief economist and an executive vice president at the Bank Policy Institute. Bill returns to the show to discuss the changes at many central banks around the world from a supply-driven floor system to a demand-driven floor system and how the Fed has been resistant to this change. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on March 6th, 2025 Subscribe to David's Substack: Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow the show on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro Musings Check out our Macro...
info_outline
Scott Lincicome on the Trump Trade War
Macro Musings with David Beckworth
Subscribe to David's Substack: Scott Lincicome is the vice president of general economics and trade at Cato. Scott returns to the program to discuss the past, present, and future of Trump’s trade war, the impact of tariffs on the US consumer, myths about globalization, the state of globalization worldwide, and much more. Check out the for this week’s episode, now with links. Recorded on March 19th, 2025 Follow David Beckworth on X: Follow Scott Lincicome on X: Follow the show on X: Check out our new AI chatbot: the ! Join the new Macro Musings ! Join the Macro...
info_outlineGeorge Selgin is a senior fellow and director emeritus at the Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives at the Cato Institute, as well as the author of the new book titled False Dawn: The New Deal and the Promise of Recovery, 1933-1947. George returns to the show to discuss the complicated economic history of the Great Depression, how that history has led us to the macro-events of 2008, 2010, and 2020, how we can apply lessons from the Great Depression to macroeconomic policy to the current moment, and much more.
Check out the transcript for this week’s episode, now with links.
Recorded on May 13th, 2025
Subscribe to David's Substack: Macroeconomic Policy Nexus
Follow David Beckworth on X: @DavidBeckworth
Follow the show on X: @Macro_Musings
Follow George on X: @GeorgeSelgin
Check out our new AI chatbot: the Macro Musebot!
Check out our Macro Musings merch!
Subscribe to David's new BTS YouTube Channel
Timestamps
00:00:00 - Intro
00:00:25 - Welcoming George Selgin and False Dawn
00:03:25 - Why Another Book on the Great Depression?
00:06:37 - The New Deal’s Role in Recovery from the Great Depression
00:08:50 - Myths About the New Deal Overview of the Great Depression
00:12:30 - Measuring Unemployment
00:16:42 - The Gold Standard and the Great Depression
00:27:05 - Helpful: Suspension of the Gold Standard and the Bank Holiday
00:35:47 - Unhelpful: Reconstruction Finance Corporation
00:38:02 - Helpful: Creation of the Home Owners Loan Corporation
00:42:31 - Unhelpful: The National Recovery Administration
00:48:42 - Unhelpful: Fiscal and Monetary Policy and Ignoring Keynes
00:57:17 - Lessons for Today: Uncertainty
01:00:56 - The Lesson of Level Targeting
01:06:42 - Breaching Contracts
01:11:40 - Outro