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Demand Stimulus as Social Policy

Author

Listed:
  • Auerbach, Alan

    (University of California, Berkeley)

  • Gorodnichenko, Yuriy

    (University of California, Berkeley)

  • Murphy, Daniel

    (University of Virginia)

Abstract

We exploit a panel of city-level data with rich demographic information to estimate the distributional effects of Department of Defense spending and its effects on a range of social outcomes. The income generated by defense spending accrues predominantly to households without a bachelor's degree. These households as well as Black households tend to disproportionately benefit from this spending. Defense spending also promotes a range of beneficial social outcomes that are often targeted by government programs, including reductions in poverty, divorce rates, disability rates, and mortality rates, as well as increases in homeownership, health insurance rates, and occupational prestige. We compare the effects of defense spending with the effects of general demand shocks and explore reasons for the differential effects of the shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Auerbach, Alan & Gorodnichenko, Yuriy & Murphy, Daniel, 2022. "Demand Stimulus as Social Policy," IZA Discussion Papers 15568, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp15568
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal policy; inequality; social policy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E6 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook
    • H3 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents

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