Reinventing Functional Finance

'This book serves as a good introduction to the neglected approach to macroeconomic theory and policy developed by Abba Lerner and his followers. Graduate students will find it particularly useful, but most of the essays could be read by undergraduates in appropriate courses, and anyone interested in macroeconomics will find them profitable reading.' -- Christopher J. Niggle, Review of Political Economy 'Grounded on the fundamental analysis of the state nature of money and the role of government in the modern capitalist economy, Reinventing Functional Finance is without any doubt a great book through which solutions to various economic problems can be sought.' -- Yan Liang, Oeconomicus 'Nell and Forstater have put together a set of thought-provoking papers that examine Lerner's functional finance theory, linking it to transformational growth, full employment, price stability, labour market dynamics, as well as fiscal and monetary policies . . . Reinventing Functional Finance is a must read for all scholars interested in public finance and full employment policy. Policymakers (and their economic advisers) are encouraged to read it and to consider going back to the basic insights that Abba Lerner and others brought to light six decades ago. This is an insightful, fresh, and well-overdue look at functional finance and its policy implications. The challenging task ahead is to take the principles of functional finance back to the policy arena.' -- Fadhel Kaboub, International Labor Review

Edited by Edward J. Nell, Malcolm B. Smith Professor of Economics, The New School for Social Research, US and Mathew Forstater, Associate Professor of Economics and Director, Center for Full Employment and Price Stability, University of Missouri, Kansas City, US

Contents: Preface Part I: Introduction 1. Transformational Growth and Functional Finance Interlude I: Opening Remarks Part II: Functional Finance: The Background 2. Functional Finance, New Classical Economics and Great-Great Grandsons 3. Toward a New Instrumental Macroeconomics: Abba Lerner and Adolph Lowe on Economic Method, Theory, History and Policy 4. Neissers Unorthodox Quantity Theory of Money 5. Functional Finance, Past and Present Part III: Assessing the Inflation Barrier 6. The NAIRU and Fiscal and Monetary Policy for Now and Our Future: Some Comments 7. The History of Abba Lerners Supply-side Inflation 8. Functional Finance and Fiscal Function 9. Are These Trade-offs Necessary? Part IV: Fiscal and Monetary Linkages 10. Functional Finance and US Government Budget Surpluses in the New Millennium 11. Functional Finance and Full Employment: Lessons from Lerner for Today 12. Anchors Aweigh: From Real to Nominal Money and from Market to Government Stabilization 13. Interest Rates, Profits and Economic Growth Interlude II: Roundtable Discussion Part V: Functional Finance and Full Employment 14. Equality and Enterprise: Can Functional Finance Offer a New Historical Compromise? 15. The Operational Role of Functional Finance for Labor Market Behavior and Outcomes 16. The Job Guarantee: Full Employment and Price Stability in a Small Open Economy Part VI: The Final Hour 17. Short-run Macroeconomic Stabilization by an Employer of Last Resort 18. Transformational Growth Project Members and Conference Participants in Open Conversation Index