Leaving the gold standard in 1971 meant the U.S. was free to manage its money supply to prevent deflation and “truly damaging levels of inflation.” But mainstream economists, led by the free-market Chicago School, have ignored this fact, leaving the public’s fate to the caprices of markets for decades.
By ignoring the historic role government played in enabling economic growth, the prevailing myths about how the U.S. became prosperous allow lawmakers, officials and lobbyists to craft policies that prevent the majority of Americans from taking their rightful share of the national wealth, Jeff Madrick writes in Harper’s Magazine.