There are fiscal stimulus policies and then there are smart fiscal stimulus policies which accomplish not only the basic macroeconomic task of reducing unemployment and increasing demand but also accomplish important long-term sectoral goals. One example of smart fiscal policy would be replacing state and local tax and fee revenues, ensuring that an array of vital human capital investment sectors like education, public health and safety are returning to productive levels as soon as possible. (Is this the REAL reason Senators Melendez and Cassidy & Representatives Mikie Sherrill and Peter King are all calling their identical, bipartisan bills to do just that the SMART Fund Act....?)
Here's another example of really smart fiscal policy: The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) recently published an article discussing a study from the University of Oxford, which found global support among senior economists for an economic recovery driven by climate-friendly or "green" fiscal policies. The article also discusses the Global Mayors COVID-19 Recovery Task Force, which advocates for a sustainable economic recovery. Of the 39 mayors who have endorsed the task force, three represent cities from the northeast-midwest region, including Boston, Chicago, and New York.
The Oxford study itself is available here: https://www.smithschool.ox.ac.uk/publications/wpapers/workingpaper20-02.pdf
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