Is a recessionary or inflationary gap bad for an economy? Have you ever wondered how the federal government and the Federal Reserve react to smooth out recessionary and inflationary gaps? In this activity, you will explore the concepts of fiscal policy and the attempts the U.S. government takes when the U.S. economy is in a recessionary or inflation gap. You will discuss the concepts of aggregate supply and aggregate demand to determine how the U.S. economy can work its way back to long-run equilibrium based.

Locate a recent article (published within the last year) that discusses fiscal policy and whether the U.S. economy is in an inflationary or recessionary gap. You can use the Hunt Library, newspapers, new stations, or other credible sources to locate an article. Analyze the article and then address the following concepts in your discussion.

• Interpret recessionary and expansionary gaps within the economy.
• Explain the inter-workings of fiscal policy tools.
• State how taxation and government spending works.
• Differentiate between fiscal and monetary policy.
• Demonstrate the mechanics of discretionary fiscal policy within the Keynesian framework.

Summarize your findings using at least 250 words and provide a minimum of one reference. Use current APA formatting to document your sources.