US

Small Firms

The federal government would make the average U.S. citizen better off by using policies that directly focus more on increasing small business growth than growth of economic output overall.

Responses weighted by each expert's confidence

Participant University Vote Confidence Bio/Vote History
Acemoglu
Daron Acemoglu
MIT
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
Alesina
Alberto Alesina
Harvard Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Altonji
Joseph Altonji
Yale
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Auerbach
Alan Auerbach
Berkeley
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Autor
David Autor
MIT
Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
Targeted sectoral subsidies almost always a special interest boondoggle. And why does small business helps average citizen more than large?
Baicker
Katherine Baicker
University of Chicago
Strongly Disagree
4
Bio/Vote History
Bertrand
Marianne Bertrand
Chicago
Disagree
4
Bio/Vote History
Chetty
Raj Chetty
Harvard
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
Chevalier
Judith Chevalier
Yale
Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Currie
Janet Currie
Princeton
Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Cutler
David Cutler
Harvard
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Deaton
Angus Deaton
Princeton
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Duffie
Darrell Duffie
Stanford
Disagree
2
Bio/Vote History
On its face, "small" need not be better. To prioritize implies a loss relative to the unprioritized optimum, barring more information.
Edlin
Aaron Edlin
Berkeley Did Not Answer Bio/Vote History
Eichengreen
Barry Eichengreen
Berkeley
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Fair
Ray Fair
Yale
Strongly Disagree
10
Bio/Vote History
Goldberg
Pinelopi Goldberg
Yale
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Goldin
Claudia Goldin
Harvard
Strongly Disagree
3
Bio/Vote History
Goolsbee
Austan Goolsbee
Chicago
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History
Greenstone
Michael Greenstone
University of Chicago
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Hall
Robert Hall
Stanford
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Small business is held back by the burden of its undiversified idiosyncratic risk. But I don't think the gov can do much about it.
-see background information here
Holmström
Bengt Holmström
MIT
Uncertain
6
Bio/Vote History
Government can and should stimulate small business growth with general tax policies. How much and at the exclusiion of what is uncertain.
Hoxby
Caroline Hoxby
Stanford
Strongly Disagree
9
Bio/Vote History
Generally, the government is not in a good position to pick winners/losers in the private sector, and I do not see a clear externality here.
Judd
Kenneth Judd
Stanford
Strongly Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Many "average" Americans work for large businesses. What is the point if this does not improve economic growth?
Kashyap
Anil Kashyap
Chicago Booth
Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Small biz create and destroy lots of jobs, there is no reason to favor them at the expense of others
-see background information here
Klenow
Pete Klenow
Stanford
Uncertain
10
Bio/Vote History
This could well be true, but I don't think we know. Meanwhile, favoring small businesses for job creation seems to be doubly misguided.
-see background information here
Levin
Jonathan Levin
Stanford
Disagree
5
Bio/Vote History
Maskin
Eric Maskin
Harvard
No Opinion
Bio/Vote History
Nordhaus
William Nordhaus
Yale
Strongly Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Obstfeld
Maurice Obstfeld
Berkeley
Strongly Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Saez
Emmanuel Saez
Berkeley
Uncertain
4
Bio/Vote History
Scheinkman
José Scheinkman
Columbia University
Strongly Disagree
9
Bio/Vote History
Schmalensee
Richard Schmalensee
MIT
Strongly Disagree
7
Bio/Vote History
Shin
Hyun Song Shin
Princeton
Uncertain
7
Bio/Vote History
Stokey
Nancy Stokey
University of Chicago
Strongly Disagree
8
Bio/Vote History
Thaler
Richard Thaler
Chicago Booth
Disagree
4
Bio/Vote History
Maybe I am missing something but I see no particular reason why this sector should be favored.
Udry
Christopher Udry
Northwestern
Disagree
6
Bio/Vote History
Zingales
Luigi Zingales
Chicago Booth
Uncertain
1
Bio/Vote History