Modern Monetary Theory (MMT)

An Evaluation of its Premises and its Political Consequences

Authors

  • Antony Peter Mueller
  • Samuel Fernandes Lucena Vaz-Curado UFS

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30800/mises.2019.v7.1211

Keywords:

Modern Monetary Theory, Kalecki, public debt, unemployment, interventionism

Abstract

The Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) has gained center stage of economic debate with proposals for major social and environmental welfare projects in the United States. This article aims to present the basic assumptions of MMT and its position in economic theory. The roots of MMT are associated with the neo-Marxist economist Michal Kalecki, who asserts that deficits do not matter. The adherents of MMT argue that projects such as Medicare for All, Green New Deal, and job security face no major fiscal restraint. For the government as the sovereign creator of the national currency as a legal tender, budget deficits do not matter because it can always create as much money as is necessary to finance its expenditures. The paper discusses the main policy proposals of Modern Monetary Theory and elaborates the critique and limitations of its agenda.

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Published

2019-08-19

How to Cite

1.
Mueller AP, Vaz-Curado SFL. Modern Monetary Theory (MMT): An Evaluation of its Premises and its Political Consequences. MisesJournal [Internet]. 2019 Aug. 19 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];7(2). Available from: https://www.revistamises.org.br/misesjournal/article/view/1211

Issue

Section

Original Research Articles