![]() Paul Krugman (Image by david_shankbone) Details DMCA | The West has, in fact, fallen into a slump similar to Japan's -- but worse. And that wasn't supposed to happen. In the 1990s, we assumed that if the United States or Western Europe found themselves facing anything like Japan's problems, we would respond much more effectively than the Japanese had. But we didn't, even though we had Japan's experience to guide us. On the contrary, Western policies since 2008 have been so inadequate if not actively counterproductive that Japan's failings seem minor in comparison. And Western workers have experienced a level of suffering that Japan has managed to avoid. |




