Daniel Hannan: Spending Recession & Debt
on Monday, January 12, 2015Daniel Hannan Money Quotation saying spending won’t solve the problems that cause recession – creating more debt won’t fix it. Daniel Hannan said:
“You cannot spend your way out of recession or borrow your way out of debt” — Daniel Hannan
This quote from Daniel Hannan suggests that neither deficit spending policies aimed at stimulating demand during economic downturns, nor taking on additional debt to pay off existing debts, provide viable solutions. Some key points in interpreting his perspective:
- Hannan implies that increasing government outlays or individual/national borrowing cannot reliably pull an economy out of recession or resolve debt issues through such strategies alone.
- He portrays such approaches as ultimately unsustainable and unlikely to solve the underlying problems that led to economic weakness or debt accumulation.
- However, reasonable experts acknowledge both short-term stimulus and long-term fiscal responsibility have roles to play depending on circumstances. Moderate, targeted policies combined with budget discipline over the business cycle are debated.
- A balanced interpretation is that while Hannan aims to question reliance on deficit solutions, the best analysis considers this perspective alongside other reasonable positions. The complex realities of macroeconomic and debt management involve weighing evidence and trade-offs, with knowledgeable analysts disagreeing in good faith.
Overall, the quote conveys Hannan’s skepticism of addressing recessions or debt solely through additional borrowing or spending. But the best interpretation also considers counterarguments and recognizes experts will continue debating pragmatic, balanced solutions in changing conditions through open-minded discussion, as no single viewpoint captures the full picture of optimizing stability, growth and equity over multiple economic and political cycles.