Employment, Politics, and Economic Recovery in the Great Depression
John Joseph Wallis
,
3
(
69
)
Review of Economics and Statistics
516-520
August
1987
Wallis_Employment_RESTAT_1987.pdf258.87 KB
Abstract
In earlier studies, economic historians found that political goals, rather than social or humanitarian objectives, motivated much of New Deal spending. Using new information on annual, state level employment for the 1930s, this paper shows that, while politics are still important, responding to the needs of the unemployed was an important determinant of New Deal spending.