James L. Caton

James L. Caton is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics and a Fellow at the Center for the Study of Public Choice and Private Enterprise at North Dakota State University. His research interests include agent-based simulation and monetary theories of macroeconomic fluctuation. He has published articles in scholarly journals, including The Southern Economic Journal, the Journal of Entrepreneurship and Public Policy, and the Journal of Artificial Societies and Social Simulation. He is also the co-editor of Macroeconomics, a two-volume set of essays and primary sources in classical and modern macroeconomic thought. Caton earned his Ph.D. in Economics from George Mason University, his M.A. in Economics from San Jose State University, and his B.A. in History from Humboldt State University.

No, This Is Not 1970s Style Stagflation

"The FOMC’s current policy stance has precipitated a recession that may modestly deepen as it tardily-but-effectively pursues its commitment to restraining inflation." ~ James L. Caton

No, This Is Not 1970s Style Stagflation

The Race to Tame Inflation Expectations

"If the FOMC thinks inflation should be higher than 2 percent on average, it should adopt a higher inflation target—say, 3 percent—and compensate for periods of excess inflation by also…

The Race to Tame Inflation Expectations

Making Sense of Monetary Policy and the Future of Inflation

"The expansion of circulating currency has diminished to rates comparable to pre-pandemic lows. These factors and the current state of business inventories suggest that inflationary pressures are likely near their…

Making Sense of Monetary Policy and the Future of Inflation

Inflation: What Causes It, and When Will it Subside?

"The growth rate of currency in circulation has been back to pre-crisis rates for at least 2 quarters. We should expect inflation and the growth rate of expenditures to follow…

Inflation: What Causes It, and When Will it Subside?

How Will Russia Respond to Financial Sanctions?

"The sanctions are intended to increase the cost of war for the Russian government. Russia currently finds itself outside of the global financial system. Over time, however, the burden of financial sanctions…

How Will Russia Respond to Financial Sanctions?

Did Ben Bernanke Implement QE before the 2008 Financial Crisis?

"The Bernanke Fed was practicing QE much earlier than is widely thought. This early QE experiment, likely intended to stabilize short-term inflation expectations, transformed monetary policy prior to the crisis."…

Did Ben Bernanke Implement QE before the 2008 Financial Crisis?

Is This What Monetary Tightening Looks Like?

"When will the Federal Reserve begin to unwind its balance sheet this time? If the meeting minutes indicate the trajectory of policy, reductions will begin within the next two years."…

Is This What Monetary Tightening Looks Like?

The New Status Quo for Public Finance

"After the 2008 financial crisis, the US never returned to pre-crisis growth levels. My expectation is that unless private investors find a means of avoiding this subsidization of federal borrowing,…

The New Status Quo for Public Finance

Crowding Out Under Quantitative Easing

"The data speaks loudly. An accommodative monetary policy has failed to facilitate a robust economic recovery. And an artificially low federal funds rate is pumping up the federal debt and…

Crowding Out Under Quantitative Easing

Is Larry Summers Channeling Benjamin Anderson?

"The post-2008 framework has incentivized the destabilization of monetary policy. The sooner we recognize this fact, the sooner we can seriously discuss a solution to the problem." ~ James L.…

Is Larry Summers Channeling Benjamin Anderson?