Objectives of Government Economic Policy

About the lecture

In this module, we think about five key objectives of government economic policy – economic growth, environmental impacts, price stability and inflation, unemployment and the international balance of payments – and the potential conflicts between some of these objectives. We focus particular on: (i) the definition and motivation behind these objectives; (ii) the differences in certain objectives in rich countries compared to low-middle income countries; (iii) the potential for economic growth to generate environmental damage; and (iv) the difficulty of combating inflation without suffering unemployment or lower economic growth.

About the lecturer

Dr Paul Segal is a Reader in Economics of Development at King's College London. He specialises in researching global poverty and inequality, the economics of natural resources, and economic history. He has published widely within these areas, including Who Are the Global Top 1%? and The Economy: Economics for a Changing World. He has also written policy articles for FT.com and has collaborated with Oxfam Mexico to undertake empirical fieldwork in Mexico City, analysing multidimensional inequalities.