ABSTRACT
This chapter briefly analyzes the various concepts connoted by the term “forced saving,” and the various terms assigned to its basic idea. Many—though not all—of the concepts which passed under the name of forced saving can be reduced to a fairly simple idea. Imagine that the total amount of money spent for goods’ and services remains absolutely the same from “day” to “day,” and that the degree of financial integration remains also unchanged. The history of the idea of forced or unintended saving is almost as old as the history of economic doctrines in general; the conception can be traced back at least to 1802. The “real” situation resulting from the excess of investment outlays over “intended saving out of received income” does not conform to a, definite pattern; a variety of patterns is possible, depending on a number of conditions. Saving refers merely to money amounts; lacking, on the other hand, refers to “real” quantities.
