Background
“Cheap money” refers to the economic condition where low interest rates are maintained to stimulate investment, particularly during periods of recession. The goal is to make borrowing less expensive, thereby encouraging businesses and consumers to take loans and invest in economic activities.
Historical Context
The term became especially relevant during the UK’s economic policy in the 1930s and 1940s. During the 1930s, the UK were experiencing severe economic downturns and hoped that low rates would induce investment to spur economic growth. The results were mixed and sector-specific; while it did stimulate investment in housing, the overall investment climate remained largely unresponsive. Post-World War II, in a period characterized by widespread excess demand, cheap money exacerbated inflationary pressures, leading to the need for rationing and price controls for effective economic management.
Definitions and Concepts
Cheap money is defined by its main characteristic—low interest rates—meant to encourage borrowing and spending. Despite being seen as a necessary stimulus during downturns, it is not always a sufficient condition to resolve economic stagnation.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economists typically emphasize the long-term adjustments of markets. Cheap money policies may temporarily smooth fluctuations but are often viewed with skepticism regarding long-term inflationary impacts.
Neoclassical Economics
Neoclassical economics might analyze cheap money in the context of supply and demand for credit. Low interest rates can displace savings by incentivizing consumption and risky investments, possibly causing imbalances.
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian economists argue in favor of monetary policies like cheap money to counteract cyclical downturns in aggregate demand. Cheap money aligns with Keynes’s advocacy for proactive fiscal and monetary interventions during recessions.
Marxian Economics
Under Marxian theory, cheap money might be seen as a temporary fix for capitalism’s cyclical crises, postponing the necessary structural changes required to resolve underlying contradictions.
Institutional Economics
Institutional economists may focus on how low-interest rates are managed by institutions and their effectiveness within different structural and regulatory settings.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economists look at how low interest rates influence consumer and investor behavior, analyzing whether such stimuli lead to the desired levels of risk-taking and spending.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesians support the concept with caution. They may argue that while cheap money can be part of a policy mix to ensure economic stability, it’s insufficient alone and must be coupled with other forms of fiscal stimuli.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists typically criticize cheap money, seeing it as distorting signals in credit markets and leading to malinvestments and subsequent economic corrections.
Development Economics
In developing economies, cheap money can stimulate initial phases of industrialization and infrastructure development but may provoke challenges related to financial imbalances and inflation.
Monetarism
Monetarists caution that while cheap money can boost activity in the short term, controlling money supply growth is crucial to preventing long-term inflationary spirals.
Comparative Analysis
While cheap money has various proponents and critics, particularly across different schools of thought, its effectiveness varies by economic context and historical period. As a sole policy measure, its impact tends to be constrained; when combined with others, such as fiscal stimuli or structural reforms, its effectiveness is often better realized.
Case Studies
The UK’s effort during the 1930s stands as a notable historical case, demonstrating both the limits and contextual dependencies of cheap money as an economic policy tool.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “A History of Interest Rates” by Sidney Homer and Richard Sylla
- “The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money” by John Maynard Keynes
- “Man, Economy, and State” by Murray Rothbard
Related Terms with Definitions
- Interest Rates: The cost of borrowing money, typically expressed as an annual percentage of the loan amount.
- Monetary Policy: The process by which a central bank manages the supply and cost of money in an economy, primarily through interest rates.
- Fiscal Stimulus: Governmental measures, typically involving increased public spending and tax cuts, designed to boost economic activity.
- Inflation: A sustained rise in general price levels in an economy over a period.
