“KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS– BACK FROM THE DEAD?” THE GODLEY-TOBIN LECTURE Robert Rowthorn WP 512 June 2019 KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS– BACK FROM THE DEAD? THE GODLEY-TOBIN LECTURE Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge Working Paper no. 512 Robert Rowthorn Faculty of Economics and Kings College University of Cambridge Email:
[email protected] June 2019 Abstract This paper surveys some the main developments in macroeconomics since the anti- Keynesian counter-revolution forty years ago. It covers both mainstream and heterodox economics. Amongst the topics discussed are: New Keynesian economics, Modern Monetary Theory (MMT), expansionary fiscal contraction, unconventional monetary policy, the Phillips curve, and hysteresis. The conclusion is that Keynesian economics is alive and well, and that there has been a degree of convergence between heterodox and mainstream economics. JEL Codes: E60, E10, E31, B22. Keywords: Macroeconomics, Keynesian economics, Keynes Acknowledgements: I should like to thank Wendy Carlin, Geoffrey Harcourt, Bill Martin and Thomas Michl for their comments on an earlier draft of this paper. The paper is forthcoming in Review of Keynesian Economics. Further information about the Centre for Business Research can be found at: www.cbr.cam.ac.uk 1. Introduction When Thomas Palley asked me to give this year’s Godley-Tobin Lecture, he suggested that I might present my views about modern developments in macroeconomics. At first, I baulked at the idea of covering such a vast field, but then I decided it would be an interesting challenge. To the extent that there is one, the underlying theme of my lecture is that, since the initial anti-Keynesian counter-revolution forty years ago, Keynesian economics has made something of a come-back.