False Promise of Stimulus Spending: Lessons from the Great Recession   [open pdf - 230KB]

From the Key Takeaways: "[1] History shows governments cannot spend their way into economic recovery; stimulus measures are at best ineffective and at worst, delay recovery. [2] As economic damage is realized across the country, calls for more aggressive federal programs will increase in intensity. [3] Congress should consider past stimulus failures and allow the private sector to drive recovery by removing barriers to investment, work, production, and trade."