Saturday Quiz – December 29, 2012

Welcome to the last Billy Blog Saturday Quiz before 2013. The quiz tests whether you have been paying attention over the last seven days. See how you go with the following questions. Your results are only known to you and no records are retained.

Quiz #197

• 1. If austerity led to all national governments simultaneously running public surpluses (which is the aim) then it would be impossible for all their respective private domestic sectors to save overall.
• False
• True
• 2. When the government matches its deficit with debt-issuance it changes the portfolio of wealth held in the non-government sector. The impact on purchasing power is equivalent to a leakage from the expenditure system (akin to taxation, saving or imports) which reduces the expansionary impact of the government deficit spending.
• False
• True
• 3. A public employment guarantee program, which required workers to attend a government centre each day and do jigsaw puzzles, would have no impact on national income.
• False
• True
• 4. Which budget deficit outcome is the least expansionary?
• 1 per cent of GDP
• 2 per cent of GDP
• 3 per cent of GDP
• Cannot say because it depends on the decomposition of the structural and automatic stabiliser components.
• 5. Premium Question: If the government reduces its net spending by say $10 billion, the net financial assets destroyed by this fiscal withdrawal could be replaced by the central bank engaging in a $10 billion quantitative easing program.
• False
• True

Sorry, quiz 197 is now closed.

You can find the answers and discussion here