Monetary Policy?

Question

Can someone explain (in plain english) what Fiscal Policy is?

Answer 1

monetary policy

Definition

Economic strategy chosen by a government in deciding expansion or contraction in the country's money-supply. Applied usually through the central bank, a monetary policy employs three major tools: (1) buying or selling national debt, (2) changing credit restrictions, and (3) changing the interest rates by changing reserve requirements. Monetary policy plays the dominant role in control of the aggregate-demand and, by extension, of inflation in an economy. Also called monetary regime. See also monetarism.

fiscal policy

Definition

Government's revenue (taxation) and spending policy designed to (1) counter economic cycles in order to achieve lower unemployment, (2) achieve low or no inflation, and (3) achieve sustained but controllable economic growth. In a recession, governments stimulate the economy with deficit spending (expenditure exceeds revenue). During period of expansion, they restrain a fast growing economy with higher taxes and aim for a surplus (revenue exceeds expenditure). Fiscal policies are based on the concepts of the UK economist John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946), and work independent of monetary policy which tries to achieve the same objectives by controlling the money supply.