Noble prize winning economist calls for $1 trillion stimulus

Noble prize winning economist Joseph Stiglitz has joined the ranks of those urging that the stimulus package being developed by President-elect Barack Obama's economic team be "very big."

Stiglitz writes: "A large stimulus package can always be trimmed later if it’s not needed because the economy returns to health faster than most economists think. But we need to plan for what looks to be a deep and long downturn. By relying heavily on automatic stabilizers — expenditures like increased unemployment benefits and revenue sharing with states — we can dose out the medicine as needed. The deeper and longer the downturn, the greater the spending.

Faint measures would be foolhardy. A weaker economy will suffer lower tax revenues, more foreclosures and more bankruptcies. Once a firm is bankrupt, you can’t unbankrupt it by providing a stronger stimulus later on."

The op ed is linked.