Weird’s Deep Thoughts: Tuesday Revelation Edition ‘Financialization’ as a Cause of Economic Malaise

Bruce Bartlett writes: “ Economists are still searching for answers to the slow growth of the United States economy. Some are now focusing on the issue of “financialization,” the growth of the financial sector as a share of gross domestic product. Financialization is also an important factor in the growth of income inequality, which is also a culprit in slow growth. Recent research is improving our knowledge of financialization, which has yet to get the attention of policy makers.

“According to a new article in the Journal of Economic Perspectives by the Harvard Business School professors Robin Greenwood and David Scharfstein, financial services rose as a share of G.D.P. to 8.3 percent in 2006 from 2.8 percent in 1950 and 4.9 percent in 1980….

(Tip of the hat to JD):  

More?  Check out http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/financialization-as-a-cause-of-economic-malaise/?ref=business