That’s fair but in economic theory austerity should be responsible budget constraint used to limit spending in an attempt to “save” money. For a government, over restrictions on spending have a crippling effect on the economy. Your point is valid if governments are claiming essential services were cut as austerity measures. My point is that if you support austerity you want it done responsibly in order to claim that it can work, which it can’t. Crippling social services isn’t austerity, it’s neglect and mismanagement.
You are assuming the people who “support austerity” do so because they think it will improve the situaton, and not just because they do not fucking care if poor people die or not.
Yes but I would like to think that economists who believe in austerity wouldn’t support this or agree that it is an application of austerity, that the people in charge are just hiding behind the claim that this is austerity when the reality is like you say, it’s just malicious
I do think that economists have an interest in dealing in factual information. I don’t think they are concerned with poor people but a government collecting too little in taxes will act in its own interest. They will try to increase economic activity by lowering borrowing costs or by spending. Or they will cut spending. In order to decide what to do they rely on economic theory and recommendations from economists.
That’s fair but in economic theory austerity should be responsible budget constraint used to limit spending in an attempt to “save” money. For a government, over restrictions on spending have a crippling effect on the economy. Your point is valid if governments are claiming essential services were cut as austerity measures. My point is that if you support austerity you want it done responsibly in order to claim that it can work, which it can’t. Crippling social services isn’t austerity, it’s neglect and mismanagement.
You are assuming the people who “support austerity” do so because they think it will improve the situaton, and not just because they do not fucking care if poor people die or not.
Yes but I would like to think that economists who believe in austerity wouldn’t support this or agree that it is an application of austerity, that the people in charge are just hiding behind the claim that this is austerity when the reality is like you say, it’s just malicious
Do you genuinely believe that western economists give a single shit about poor people?
I do think that economists have an interest in dealing in factual information. I don’t think they are concerned with poor people but a government collecting too little in taxes will act in its own interest. They will try to increase economic activity by lowering borrowing costs or by spending. Or they will cut spending. In order to decide what to do they rely on economic theory and recommendations from economists.