Government Spending
US public debt levels now exceed the size of the entire economy and are set to double by mid-century. Recent government spending has helped generate the largest surge in inflation in more than four decades. By showing that this surge will continue as long as policymakers fail to recognize its fiscal roots, Mercatus research endeavors to reignite and inform public debates on fiscal sustainability and entitlement reform.
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Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
A Fiscal Accounting of COVID Inflation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Milton Friedman, the Free Market, and France | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Few Fiscal Events We Should Worry About More | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
America, France, and the Free Market | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Beginnings of a Responsible Debt-Reducing Commission | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Congress Can Redeem Itself by Calling for Help | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Taxes Impact on Congressional Spending | KCMO radio’s “Peter Mundo Morning Show”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Federal Debt and “Deficit Fundamentalists” | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
No Populists in Sight in the World of Politics | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Should the Feds Borrow With Adjustable Interest Rates? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
No Plan To Pay for Government Borrowing Amid Inflation | KCOL radio’s “Mornings with Jim Lakey”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Debt That Congress Will Not Speak | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Americans Learned a Financial-Crisis Lesson. Washington Did Not. | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation and Rising Interest Rates | WSBA
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Interest Rates | WGMD
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation and the Economy | WDUN
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Impact of the Federal Budget Deficit | American Radio Journal
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation Not Solved; Deficits Not Solved | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Fed Is Far From Getting Inflation Under Control | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Cult of 'Forever Low' Interest Rates Had to End Sometime | Creators Syndicate
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
A Fiscal Accounting of COVID Inflation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Milton Friedman, the Free Market, and France | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Few Fiscal Events We Should Worry About More | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
America, France, and the Free Market | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Beginnings of a Responsible Debt-Reducing Commission | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Congress Can Redeem Itself by Calling for Help | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Taxes Impact on Congressional Spending | KCMO radio’s “Peter Mundo Morning Show”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Federal Debt and “Deficit Fundamentalists” | CBS Radio’s “Eye on the World with John Batchelor”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
No Populists in Sight in the World of Politics | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Should the Feds Borrow With Adjustable Interest Rates? | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
No Plan To Pay for Government Borrowing Amid Inflation | KCOL radio’s “Mornings with Jim Lakey”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Debt That Congress Will Not Speak | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Americans Learned a Financial-Crisis Lesson. Washington Did Not. | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation and Rising Interest Rates | WSBA
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Interest Rates | WGMD
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation and the Economy | WDUN
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
The Impact of the Federal Budget Deficit | American Radio Journal
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Inflation Not Solved; Deficits Not Solved | CBS Radio
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Radio Appearance Radio Appearance
Fed Is Far From Getting Inflation Under Control | Lars Larson Show
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Cult of 'Forever Low' Interest Rates Had to End Sometime | Creators Syndicate
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
A Fiscal Accounting of COVID Inflation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Fiscal Dominance: How Worried Should We Be?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Funding Parental Leave Today with Tomorrow’s Social Security Benefits Won’t Work
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Why We Have Federal Deficits: An Updated Analysis
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Keynesian Stimulus: A Virtuous Semicircle?
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, June 2021
- | Healthcare Healthcare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Understanding CBO’s Medicare for All Cost Estimates
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Economic Situation, March 2021
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Recent Trends in US Highway and Bridge Conditions
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
An Analysis of Connecticut’s Public Employee Retirement Plans
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Research Papers Research Papers
An Interstate Compact to End the Economic Development Subsidy Arms Race
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Research Papers Research Papers
Flattening the Debt Curve: Empirical Lessons for Fiscal Consolidation
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Journal Articles Journal Articles
Does Census Hiring Stimulate Jobs Growth?
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
No More State and Local Government Bailouts
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Debt and Growth: A Decade of Studies
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Public Sector Pensions and the COVID-19 Shock
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
The Cost of COVID-19: A Rough Estimate of the 2020 US GDP Impact
- | Corporate Welfare Corporate Welfare
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Corporate Welfare: Beyond the Budgetary Cost
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Books Books
Decoding the Debates: Fugitive Notes on Federal Economic Policy

- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Policy Briefs Policy Briefs
Revisiting the Proposal for a Wealth Tax
Latest work in Government Spending
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
A Few Fiscal Events We Should Worry About More | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
America, France, and the Free Market | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Congress Can Redeem Itself by Calling for Help | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
No Populists in Sight in the World of Politics | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Americans Learned a Financial-Crisis Lesson. Washington Did Not. | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Cult of 'Forever Low' Interest Rates Had to End Sometime | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
'Good Government' Is a Two-Way Street | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
More on Interest Rates | National Review
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Solving America’s Housing Woes or Making Them Worse? | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Are Ordinary Americans Buying ‘Bidenomics’? | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Barreling Toward Another Government Shutdown: The Art of Political Kabuki | The Washington Times
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Surprising, Uplifting Truth About Inequality | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
The Middle Class Is Prospering | National Review’s “The Corner”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Arnold Kling on Industrial Policy | National Review’s “The Corner”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Can We Really Grow Out of Debt? | National Review’s “The Corner”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
An Update on the Foxconn Deal | National Review’s “The Corner”
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
Politicians Make a Mockery Out of ‘Emergency’ Spending | Creators Syndicate
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
First Anniversary of Inflation Reduction Act | WSPD radio’s “The Scott Sands Show” (OH)
- | Government Spending Government Spending
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary
After the US Credit Downgrade, Let’s Talk About a Radical Budgetary Change | Creators Syndicate
- | Monetary Policy Monetary Policy
- | Expert Commentary Expert Commentary