Blyth Takes Austerity Argument to Wisconsin

March 21, 2011

“I see something which is superficially appealing, individually rational perhaps, and ultimately collectively disastrous.” This is how Watson Institute Faculty Fellow Mark Blyth describes austerity policy, a debt-reduction approach gaining ground internationally, nationally, and in American states like Wisconsin, where protests against such policies have been particularly strong. His remarks were broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio and around the country, on the public radio program, To the Best of Our Knowledge. Blyth is author of a book called Austerity: The History of a Dangerous Idea (forthcoming, Oxford University Press).

A short video of his views was produced at the Watson Institute last year, and it has gained wide viewership around the world.