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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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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Hibbs, Douglas A., 1977. "Political Parties and Macroeconomic Policy," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(4), pages 1467-1487, December.
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    4. 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.
    5. repec:nbr:nberre:0126 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. William D. Nordhaus, 1975. "The Political Business Cycle," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 42(2), pages 169-190.
    7. Fischer, Stanley, 1977. "Long-Term Contracts, Rational Expectations, and the Optimal Money Supply Rule," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 85(1), pages 191-205, February.
    8. Taylor, John B, 1980. "Aggregate Dynamics and Staggered Contracts," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 88(1), pages 1-23, February.
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    12. 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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