Which policy would likely stimulate growth in the short term through government spending?

• A. Increase taxes
• B. Increase government spending
• C. Decrease government spending
• D. Increase tariffs

Answer: (B)

Boosting government spending is an expansionary fiscal move that directly raises aggregate demand in the economy. When the government spends more on goods, services, and projects, money flows to workers and businesses, who then spend and invest more, creating a multiplier effect. In the short run, this path tends to lift output and employment quickly, which is exactly what growth-focused policy aims to do.

Raising taxes would pull money away from households and reduce consumption, dampening demand rather than boosting it. Cutting government spending removes spending power from the economy, similarly shrinking demand. Tariffs change trade dynamics and can raise costs or invite retaliation, but they don’t directly stimulate domestic growth through higher government purchases, making them a less straightforward short-term growth tool.