Economic crisis and economic policy in the thirties and the seventies

Summary This article studies the causes of the deterioration of the Dutch economy after 1930 and after 1973 and potential remedies. An originally Keynesian model from the Central Planning Bureau is extended with some crucial financial feedbacks. Foreign factors and restrictive policy explain the bulk of unemployment growth in the 1930's; the opposite holds for the 1970's. Optimal control suggests the feasibility of a somewhat less restrictive policy in the 1930's, at the cost of financial targets. Fiscal discipline, combined with a less restrictive monetary policy and wage restraint in the 1970's would have improved the initial conditions for the 1980's.We gratefully acknowledge the able assistance of L.H. van der Meiden and J.J. Graafland, also of Erasmus University. Professor S.K. Kuipers and two anonymous referees provided useful comments on an earlier version.