That’s a common idea. It does not explain well what’s been happening though. The Fed has definitey done things to exacerbate inequality and accelerate it but the system creates inequality without the need for Fed intervention. The post-Depression to 80s period was out of the ordinary for inequality and for prosperity of the working class. Look at some wealth share graphs that span into the 19th century or earlier and you’ll see that the system creates these effects even on gold standards with no Fed.
This is what the US looks like:
Here’s one going further back in some countries:
And here’s a more detailed picture in the US and Canada going to the 1920. Note that given the first one, i equality didn’t explode in the 7-year period between the creatiom of the Fed and 1920. It was far high way earlier:
I believe this fits the rest of the story much much more neatly:
And I think the alternative explanations proposed by various economists that don’t lean on labour power are a distraction that enables continued inequality growth, while we chase geese. Oh let’s push that lever, it’s going to help, a decade passes, inequality worse. Oh let’s push that other lever. A decade passes, inequality grows. Oh let’s push that other … Meanwhile the only solution that has ever worked in creating prosperity for the many is staring us in the face.
BTW I did not downvote but I suspect a lot of people here know these things and just don’t have the energy to explain their view so they just hit the button. I’ve been there. I also used to believe the monetarist explanation.
That’s a common idea. It does not explain well what’s been happening though. The Fed has definitey done things to exacerbate inequality and accelerate it but the system creates inequality without the need for Fed intervention. The post-Depression to 80s period was out of the ordinary for inequality and for prosperity of the working class. Look at some wealth share graphs that span into the 19th century or earlier and you’ll see that the system creates these effects even on gold standards with no Fed.
This is what the US looks like:
Here’s one going further back in some countries:
And here’s a more detailed picture in the US and Canada going to the 1920. Note that given the first one, i equality didn’t explode in the 7-year period between the creatiom of the Fed and 1920. It was far high way earlier:
I believe this fits the rest of the story much much more neatly:
And I think the alternative explanations proposed by various economists that don’t lean on labour power are a distraction that enables continued inequality growth, while we chase geese. Oh let’s push that lever, it’s going to help, a decade passes, inequality worse. Oh let’s push that other lever. A decade passes, inequality grows. Oh let’s push that other … Meanwhile the only solution that has ever worked in creating prosperity for the many is staring us in the face.
BTW I did not downvote but I suspect a lot of people here know these things and just don’t have the energy to explain their view so they just hit the button. I’ve been there. I also used to believe the monetarist explanation.