11. Inheriting Recessions
- Author:
- Tim Kane
- Publication Date:
- 07-2012
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- Hudson Institute
- Abstract:
- Three of the last six U.S. presidents have inherited a recessionary economy: Ronald Reagan, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. Let's define "inheriting a recession" as meaning that on the date a president is sworn into office, the economy is technically still in recession or enters one within a few months. Most economists would agree that presidents have little short-term control over the economy, but that their fiscal policies can be implemented quickly and affect macroeconomic performance after the first year. Reagan, inaugurated in January 1981, actually endured a double-dip recession-one that had been raging since early 1980 and a second that hit in July 1981-but the economy experienced a strong and sustained recovery that began in November 1982 during his second year in the White House. Bush was inaugurated in January 2001, and the economy entered recession just weeks later. Obama entered office in January 2009, like Reagan, after the United States had been in recession for a full year.
- Topic:
- Economics, International Trade and Finance, Monetary Policy, Financial Crisis, and Governance
- Political Geography:
- United States