Which economist’s 1936 book argued that government spending could help end a recession?

John Maynard Keynes’s 1936 book argued that government spending could help end a recession.

Keynes presented this argument most fully in The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, published in 1936. He challenged the view that economies would automatically return quickly to full employment after a shock. In his analysis, weak demand could persist, leaving workers and productive resources idle.

Keynes argued that government could support total demand through fiscal policy, especially when private investment and household spending were depressed. Public works and other spending could therefore help raise employment and output during a downturn. His ideas became especially influential after the Great Depression.

Keynesian economics does not mean that every increase in government spending is automatically beneficial. Its effects depend on timing, financing, spare capacity, inflationary pressure, and the economy’s broader conditions. The book also discussed expectations, interest rates, consumption, and investment.