Jason Furman Profile picture
Oct 6, 2020 17 tweets 4 min read Read on X
How should we think about the ideal size of fiscal stimulus right now? A thread with two approaches: (1) top down (based on filling the macro hole) and (2) bottom up (based on protecting people).
Three distinct issues:

(1) When do we need money? Simple: two months ago.

(2) How long do we need money? As long as it takes, could be years, ideally would have triggers to continue after Congress is fatigued.

(3) How much per month? Rest of thread is on this question.
A top down approach would ask what the output gap is and what the multiplier is. CBO's July forecast put the output gap at 6% in Q4, at a time when they expected the UR to be 10.5% this quarter. So presumably they would say something smaller, maybe 4%. cbo.gov/system/files/2…
Alternatively, Okun's Law says the output gap is 2*(7.9% unemployment - 3.4% full employment rate) = 8%. Let's round that up to 10% which could reflect the higher "realistic" unemployment rate, a further outbreak that hurts the economy more, or a lower full employment rate.
Next we need a multiplier. Most advocates of stimulus I see on twitter tout multipliers like 1.5. On the other hand, this may be too high and the very short-term multiplier might be lower, as low as 0.5. Let's use both.
Finally we can combine these with the fact that monthly GDP is $1.8T and get the following needs for monthly stimulus for the 0.5 multiplier / 1.5 multiplier case:

If the output gap is 4%: $36b / $108b
If the output gap is 10%: $90b / $270b
If legislating for 6 months then the total ranges from $216 billion to $1.6 trillion.

I would want to err on the side of more, I worry the output gap will remain large, and that the short-run multiplier is low. So I would be at the top of that range.
Now a bottom up approach. I'll consider four elements:

(1) Health needs like testing. I'm no expert, will arbitrarily pencil in $30b/month.

(2) Unemployed.

(3) States/localities

(4) Everything else
Second, how much do we need for the unemployed? Compensation in August was $56 billion below its pre-crisis trend. In theory for that amount of money could keep worker's whole (would still have lost business income etc.). That is about $350 billion over six months.
Alternatively, 28 million on UI or waiting to get on. If you support $600/week * 4.35 weeks per month that is $73 billion a month.
Three things might change that number:

PUA for gig workers etc. ends at the end of the year. Need ~$10b per month for it next year.

Continued claims falling, so likely lower than $73b for month.

I prefer $400/month given the economy.

Nets to lower but I'll stick with $70b.
Third, how much is needed for states and localities? Auerbach, Gale and Sheiner put the *revenue* shortfall at $227b over three years. There is also additional demands on spending. Let's double the number and say $450b total, if over 6 months is $75b/month. Image
Finally, everything else? A lot of people not eligible for UI, in fact most suffering during CARES period appears to have been people not getting UI not people getting too little UI. Mechanisms for this is checks, SNAP, child allowance, housing vouchers, etc. Call it $60b/month.
I don't have a good basis for this, but $60b per month is as much as we spend on SNAP in a normal year, so would be enough for a 12X expansion of that program. Or enough for stimulus checks every three months. Or enough to close the personal income shortfall not counting UI.
Oh, and I would allocate $0 to restoring the state and local deduction and twice as much as that to PPP.
So the bottom up approach gets you the following per month:

Health: $30b
UI: $70b
States: $75b
Other: $60b
TOTAL: $235b

That is a bit below the upper bound of the "top down calculation" and works out to $1.4 trillion over six months.
In conclusion:

--The sooner the better

--The longer the better (with triggers)

--Erring on the side of large gets you about $250b per month if the legislation lasts for six months.

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More from @jasonfurman

Dec 11
Inflation came in a touch above expected, with core CPI at an annual rate:

1 month: 3.8%
3 months: 3.7%
6 months: 2.9%
12 months: 3.3%

The last mile is proving very, very stubborn. Image
Here are the full set of numbers. Image
Broadly speaking what has happened is core services inflation as only slowed a little (less than people were hoping on lagged shelter) while goods prices have started rising--with unusually large auto price increases in November that could still be hurricane-related. Image
Read 9 tweets
Nov 11
I believe it is useful to make small contributions to big things (many engaged in doing that now) & also bigger contributions to small things.

On the later, in @BostonGlobe I argue for zoning reform to enable Cambridge to help build more than 1,000 additional housing units.

A🧵 Image
States and localities can resist the likely regressive thrust of federal policymaking while doing what they can to build a more progressive, inclusive and upwardly mobile society.

To do that we need cheaper housing.

And to do that we need more housing.
VP Harris was right to set a goal of building 3 million housing units. On a proportional basis that would require 1,050 from Cambridge. Unfortunately on current course we'll get 100. But with reforms proposed by the City Council that could be raised to more than 1,000.
Read 10 tweets
Nov 7
I know many skeptics of prediction markets. I don't have an ideological faith in them (OK, maybe quasi ideological). But the empirical evidence is they have worked really, really, really well. And did again on Tuesday night.

A short 🧵 about this remarkable picture. Image
Markets gave Trump a 60% chance. How does that prove they know what they're doing? If Harris won could say, "but she had a 40% chance" so wasn't wrong.

That's correct. Can only judge when you've seen them many, many times. Do 60% chance things happen 60% of the time?
In Ec10 we should them 15 million data points from sports betting from @andrewlilley_au comparing the prediction market probability to the outcomes.

And guess what: if you collect 100 markets with a 6% chance of a team winning and look at the results you'll see them win 6 times. Image
Read 7 tweets
Nov 6
The macroeconomy is strong--high growth, low unemployment, falling inflation--the best of any advanced economy.

But there was a reluctance to present/understand how families were still not out of the deep inflation hole. And too much masked by cherrypicking/misleading stats.
IF Donald Trump had been President for the last 4 yrs here are some stats you would have heard more from progressives. Relative to 2019:

--Real median household income down 0.7%

--3m more people in poverty (poverty rate up 0.6pp)

--Unemp rate up 0.6pp

--Mortgage rate up 3pp
To be clear: Not claiming these were or weren't Biden-Harris's fault (e.g., if Congress had passed their child tax credit maybe poverty down). Also not saying that they are the only objective perspective on economy (I omit positive data). But under appreciated by progressives.
Read 24 tweets
Oct 30
Another strong GDP report (2.8% in Q3) pushes real GDP even further above the pre-pandemic forecast. Image
The 2.8% (annual rate) was just below the strong expectation. Excluding volatile components, private domestic sales to final purchasers was 3.2%.

Consumption and equipment investment were very strong while structures (both residential and non) subtracted. Image
The biggest contributor was consumer spending, up at a 3.7% annual rate, the strongest showing since 2023-Q1. Image
Read 9 tweets
Oct 21
I was asked to recommend 5 books on economic policy by @nytimesbooks--ostensibly to help people make up their minds for this election but even if you don't have time to read them before voting the issues will still be relevant in 2028, 2032, etc.

One tweet for each.
1. The Little Book of Economics by @greg_ip

I was looking for a primer on deficits, inflation & other macro issues. I had this on my shelf unread but a colleague suggested it for this purpose--and it fit the bill perfectly.

Except is really The Little Book of MACROeconomics... Image
2. Career and Family by @PikaGoldin

Microeconomics centers around scarcity and there may be nothing more scarce than our time. And no more difficult tradeoff for many than career and family.

This book is the culmination of the work that earned Goldin the Nobel Prize. Image
Read 9 tweets

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