Working Paper: NBER ID: w21327
Authors: Joseph E. Stiglitz
Abstract: This paper considers two central problems in our statistical frameworks which impair the ability to use wealth to assess economic sustainability or the impacts of economic downturns. Some increases in wealth may reflect increased economic rents—in particular, land and exploitation rents—and their capitalized value, unrelated to an increase in the productive capacity of the economy. Another major problem in our wealth accounts is the “missing capital” required to explain the marked decrease in economic output, at the time of the recession and in the years following, that cannot be fully accounted for by a decrease in measured inputs. When account is taken of this missing capital, the adverse effects of austerity appear much greater than suggested by the standard national income accounts.
Keywords: wealth; sustainability; economic downturns; inequality
JEL Codes: D31; E21; E22
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Increase in wealth through rising land values (R52) | No increase in productive capacity (D24) |
| Austerity measures (E65) | Underestimation of economic downturn impacts (F69) |
| Missing capital (E22) | Underestimation of economic downturn impacts (F69) |
| Increased economic rents (D33) | Higher reported wealth without increase in productive capacity (E21) |