Japanese reconstruction may boost economy, but it's not a blessing
After every natural disaster we have to put up with Keynesians telling people of the "silver lining" is that the economy will be boosted by rebuilding. Now we have Larry Summers saying just that, while of course deploring the loss of lives.
This is of course just another example of the "broken window fallacy" where it is ignored that the rebuilding spending means less money available for other spending, not to mention the fact that the value of the previously existing buildings goes lost.
One wonders BTW why Summers and others don't take this to its logical conclusion and advocate an orderly evacuation of some large American city, say New York, and then destroy all the buildings. If really the destruction of buildings from natural disasters are so good for the economy, why wait for "Mother nature" to cause this in a way which kills people? Why not simulate this in a way where no one is killed.
The logic of this argument means that we should, after having avacuated all the people, destroy all buildings in New York and perhaps a few more cities, and then rebuild them. Does that sound like a sensible idea to you? Well, that's Keynesianism for you.
Add/view comments on this post.
------------------------------
The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on the link above.
