With few exceptions, they have not been prepared to use fiscal policy to jolt their economies out of post-crisis stagnation. Instead, they have relied on monetary expansion, which is politically more acceptable, but also much weaker in its effects, as it is undermined – just as Keynes predicted – by “several slips between the cup and the lip.”
但是，与萨缪尔逊所认为的相反，政府无法摆脱对大规模财政赤字的担忧。除了极少数例外，它们没有准备好使用财政政策将经济带出后危机时代的停滞。相反，它们依赖货币扩张，货币扩张在政治上更加容易接受，但效果要差得多，因为它——凯恩斯所预言——因为“数次功败垂成”而大受打击。