what is a deficit spending unit 
a deficit spending unit is an economic term used to describe how an economy or an economic group within that economy has spent more than it has earned over a specified measurement period both companies and governments may experience a deficit spending unit understanding deficit spending unitsdeficit spenders can be individuals sectors countries or even a whole economy when a deficit spending unit is an entire country it is often forced to borrow from countries that operate as surplus spenders the effects of deficit spending if left unchecked could be a threat to economic growth it could force a government to raise taxes and potentially default on its debt when an entity spends more than they take in they may sell the debt to raise funds governments sell treasury notes and other instruments while companies may sell equity or other assets during times of economic hardship governments and municipalities are likely to run deficits to shield from the effects of a recession and to spur economic growth although it is doubtful that an economic unit will operate at a surplus all the time a prolonged deficit will eventually cause long term hardship for the economy as debt levels become too high according to keynesian economists the multiplier theory suggests that a dollar of government spending could increase total economic output by more than a dollar a multiplier in economic terms holds that a change will cause a ripple effect on other sectors of the economy keynesians believe that as the government spends it will cause an increase in the population s income in the u s households sometimes represent a deficit spending unit as these households struggle financially and do not have disposable income available as a result they may not be able to purchase additional consumer products hold money in banks or invest in the stock market without government or private assistance the opposite of a deficit spending unit is a surplus spending unit which earns more than it spends on its basic needs therefore it has money left over for investment into the economy through the form of purchasing goods investing or lending a surplus spending unit can be a household business or any other entity that makes more than it pays to sustain itself an example of a deficit spending unit is the state of illinois according to the governor s office the state s general funds budget deficit for the fiscal year 2020 is expected to be approximately 3 2 billion as of feb 8 2019 which is roughly 16 higher than the official estimate from the end of 2018 1