It seems whenever we have a national election that results in a change of administration, the federal policy that drives our yearly budget does a complete flip: Carter to Reagan; G.W. to Obama; Trump to Biden; now back to Trump.

At least since Reagan, Republicans have stressed tax cuts and supply-side economics; Democrats typically responded with a version of the Keynesian model calling for government stimulus programs. They were responding to the economy they inherited; they all turned a wary eye toward the national debt.

How can we make sense of all this flip-flopping? How do we get beyond sound-bites and slogans? What are the fundamental principles underlying Supply-Side and Demand-Side economic theory? What were the actual impacts on grocery prices, job opportunities, affordable housing?

To clarify the mechanisms and effectiveness of recent fiscal policies, we’ve asked two speakers to give us a historical perspective: Steve Scranton, Chief Economist for Washington Trust Bank, and Todd Myers, Vice President for Research from the Washington Policy Center, a non-profit, non-partisan think tank in Olympia.

This program should give us a better handle on a key economic issue facing our country today.

[Please note: The speakers’ analyses do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective institutions.]

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