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Political Parties and the Business Cycle in the United States, 1948-1984

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  • Alesina, Alberto
  • Sachs, Jeffrey

Abstract

This paper tests the existence and the extent of a politically induced busi ness cycle in the United States in the post-World War II period. The cycle described in this paper is quite different from the traditional "political business cycle" of William Nordhaus. It is based upon t he assumption that Republican and Democratic administrations have fol lowed systematically different monetary policies. The empirical impli cations of the theory are supported by the data. Copyright 1988 by Ohio State University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Alesina, Alberto & Sachs, Jeffrey, 1988. "Political Parties and the Business Cycle in the United States, 1948-1984," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 20(1), pages 63-82, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:mcb:jmoncb:v:20:y:1988:i:1:p:63-82
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    1. Barro, Robert J, 1978. "Unanticipated Money, Output, and the Price Level in the United States," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 86(4), pages 549-580, August.
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    8. Weintraub, Robert E., 1978. "Congressional supervision of monetary policy," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 4(2), pages 341-362, April.
    9. Chappell, Henry W, Jr & Keech, William R, 1986. "Party Differences in Macroeconomic Policies and Outcomes," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 76(2), pages 71-74, May.
    10. Alberto Alesina, 1987. "Macroeconomic Policy in a Two-Party System as a Repeated Game," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 102(3), pages 651-678.
    11. Abrams, Richard K & Froyen, Richard & Waud, Roger N, 1980. "Monetary Policy Reaction Functions, Consistent Expectations, and the Burns Era," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 12(1), pages 30-42, February.
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