Has The Business Cycle Been Dampened? The Case Of Canada, Sweden And The United States

Abstract

Have postwar stabilization policies reduced economic fluctuations compared to earlier periods? Using output data for Canada, Sweden and the United States for the period 1929-2005 and three different de-trending procedures, we found that postwar economic policies have been successful in reducing business cycle volatility. We also found that fluctuations in real output have been significantly dampened during the post-Bretton Woods era compared to earlier periods.