Expansionary fiscal contraction

The Expansionary Fiscal Contraction (EFC) hypothesis predicts that, under certain circumstances, a major reduction in government spending (such as austerity measures) that changes future expectations about taxes and government spending will expand private consumption, resulting in overall economic expansion. This hypothesis was introduced by Francesco Giavazzi and Marco Pagano in 1990 in a paper that used the fiscal restructurings of Denmark and Ireland in the 1980s as examples.^[1]

The concept that fiscal contraction can result in growth is commonly known as "expansionary austerity".