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The New Economic Thought of Ben Bernanke

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The New Economic Thought of Ben Bernanke
University of Redlands
School Of Business
Masters of Business Administration

Is laissez-faire dead?
The New Economic Thought of Ben Bernanke

By

Eyitejumade A. Sogbesan

Abstract
The Feds failure to recognize an economy moving towards the choke-hold of a recession due to the immense pressures from the credit bubble, increase in number of mortgage foreclosure, the weak exchange rate of the US dollar and the higher crude oil trading might be the “invisible hand” that Adam Smith predicted to guide the economy back to its cradles afterall. Rather than the Feds, to stem the rising inflation continues to cut key interest rates in order to stabilize the economy from an impending doom called “the recession”.
According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, the agency now officially defines a recession as "a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months”. From history a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of declines in gross domestic product. An example is reminiscent of the stock market crash in the early 1930s that not only brought America to her feet but also has the whole of Europe following suit.
For someone like Bernanke, he has to choose between two evils. My report aims to shed some lights on the intentions of Bernanke, by contrasting the economic thoughts of early century philosophers with the man at the helms at the peak bank of the world’s freest economy. Proponents of free market economy knows exactly that laissez faire should be followed to the core, Laissez-faire which literally mean, "let [it] function" is the economic doctrine founded by Quesnay and the early Physiocrats and expounded by Adam Smith, which stresses absolute zero governmental interference in the operations of the market economy. (Heilbroner, 1953)
In my report, I compared the metamorphosis of different economic thoughts from the philosophies of Adam Smith to that of Stiglitz, Keynes, Leacock and the man



References: Heilbroner, R. L. (1953). The Worldly Philosophers. (New York, 1999): Simon & Schuster. Microsoft. (2007). "Adam Smith," . Retrieved November 12, 2007, from Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia : http://encarta.msn.com ADAM SMITH, (1776) BERNANKE, BEN S. AND MARK GERTLER (1990). “FINANCIAL FRAGILITY AND ECONOMIC PERFORMANCE”. QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS 105: 87-114. GREENWALD, BRUCE AND STIGLITZ, JOSEPH E (1986). “EXTERNALITIES IN ECONOMIES WITH IMPERFECT INFORMATION AND INCOMPLETE MARKETS”. QUARTERLY JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS NO. 90. STIGLITZ, JOSEPH E (2002). “THERE IS NO INVISIBLE HAND”. (LONDON, 2002): THE GUARDIAN COMMENT, DECEMBER 20, 2002. RETRIEVED ON OCTOBER 29, 2007 FROM JSORT DATABASE. ALTMAN, DANIEL. (YEAR UNKNOWN). “MANAGING GLOBALIZATION. IN: Q & ANSWERS WITH JOSEPH E. STIGLITZ”. COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY AND THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE, OCT11, 2006 05:03AM. RETRIEVED OCT 29, 2007 FROM JSTOR DATABASE. STIGLITZ, JOSEPH EUGENE (1990). “WHITHER SOCIALISM”. (STOCKHOLM, 1990). MIT PRESS 1994. LEACOCK, STEPHEN (2004). “ON THE FRONT LINE OF LIFE: STEPHEN LEACOCK: MEMORIES AND REFLECTIONS, 1935–1944. EDITED BY ALAN BOWKER”. (TORONTO, 2004) DUNDURN PRESS LTD. JACOB VINER (1927). “ADAM SMITH AND LAISSEZ FAIRE”; THE JOURNAL OF POLITICAL ECONOMY, VOL. 35 NO. 2: 218-232. RETRIEVEDON OCTOBER 29, 2007 FROM JSTOR DATABASE. RETRIEVED OCTOBER 30, 2007. RICHARD T. ELY & GEORGE S. WEHRWEIN (1940), “LAND ECONOMICS.” (NEW YORK, 1921) THE MACMILLAN COMPANY. HORN, JAMES P. P. (2005). “A LAND AS GOD MADE IT: JAMESTOWN AND THE BIRTH OF AMERICA”. (2005) BASIC BOOKS. RICARDO, DAVID, (1911). “THE PRINCIPLES OF POLITICAL ECONOMY AND TAXATION”. (LONDON, 1911), JOHN MURRAY PUBLISHERS.

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