In: Economics
BEGINNING WITH THE GREAT DEPRESSION, how has the government's role in American life changed over the period we have covered in this course? Give examples of how the government has become more involved in Americans? lives both in terms of foreign policy as well as in issues within the United States.
Beginning with the great depression, as unemployment was on the rise, the government increasingly tried to frame policies which would help its people find employment, they increased government spending and immediately increased money supply so as to relieve the economy and help drive investment. Since then as the dollar became a safe haven asset, the government has tried to drive foreign policy by increasing investments overseas and help bring in money from abroad to drive the economy and find markets worldwide for their exports and open niche markets abroad. Thus governments response mechanism picked up and it started propelling the economy through increased spending.
Even with the great recession the government immediately tried to address people's concerns and assuage the hardships they were facing. Currently they even try to influence the monetary policy in some way or another so that interest rates are favourable for investments. Good relations with other countries in terms of foreign policy through foreign aid and trade has helped drive trade policies and the economy.