I start this article by copying and pasting from the Wikipedia:
The Austrian theory of the business cycle (ATBC) was developed by economists from the Vienna school, including F.A. Hayek and L.V. Mises. It explains the relationship between bank credit, economic growth and massive investment errors that was accumulated in the bullish phase of the cycle, bursting with the bubble and destroying value.
It argues that a expansión “;artificial”; of the credit, i.e., not supported by previous voluntary savings, tends to increase investment, since relative prices have been distorted by the greater mass of money circulating in the economy. These investments, that had not been undertaken without the aforementioned distortion, overuse accumulated capital goods, and sooner or later the artificially low interest rates are arranged in their true level of market, usually very higher than the established by the central banks given the scarcity of capital goods. That abruptly cuts off the flow of cheap credit, and investments that seemed profitable with inflated prices now cease to be: the crisis breaks out and the natural settlement of erroneous investments is made.
It is a theory that seems to coincide quite a bit with the phenomenon that we have experienced in 2008 and we are still living.. I like his interpretation of the reasons for the economic crisis like the current one, economic growth based on creating money through borrowing and more debt could not last forever, but I disagree with them in his idea of how to prevent them, if you dig a little. Ellos piensan que una vuelta a un sistema de moneda “;real”; like gold standard would be the solution. As guilt seen in the current monetary system they think a reversal could be a preventative.
I don't think so. The gold standard has also its problems, for example the limited existence of gold in the world would be impossible to increase the monetary mass at all according to the needs of a world of growing population . Or finding new deposits of gold could disrupt sharply the monetary system introducing in the market a lot of currency.
I think the current system of money as simple purchasing power by central banks is valid, although it may need touch-ups.
But the problem of the recession is already there. What interests us is not to seek ways to avoid the next crisis but to solve the current one or at least to make it as smooth as possible and to comes out soon. Let us hope that the monetary authorities and States succeed.
By the way, in Spain we have an interesting member of that school.
It is Jesus Huerta de Soto. We can see his website in http://www.jesushuertadesoto.com/madre2.htm
Allí en “;libros”; pulsamos en “;dinero”; and access to their entire book on the Austrian theory, economic cycles and its analysis of the subject. It's almost 1000 pages.
Browsing it, see that he (and others of the same school) blame these crises on the fractional deposit system ( that banks can lend for example 10 times more than deposits they have).
I recover part of what I browsed (Chapter 5):
”; In the previous chapter we have explained how the banking deposit contract
of money with fractional reserve give to a new money creation (deposits)
and its injection into the economic system in the form of grant of
new credits that are not backed by a natural increase of the
voluntary savings. In this chapter we will study the effects that on the system
economic holds the concession by the banks for new credit (expansion
credit) without the support of voluntary savings. We will analyse the distortions
the expansive process generates, in the form of investment errors,
credit contractions, banking crises and, ultimately, unemployment and recession
económicas.”;
Greetings to all and enjoy, or bear, with Austrian business cycle theory
[Via: Austrian theory at relatividad.org]
