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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "For millennia,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "the people of Britain had been using \nbronze to make tools and jewelry,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and as a currency for trade."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "But around 800 BCE, that began to change:"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "the value of bronze declined, causing \nsocial upheaval and an economic crisis—"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 3646,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "what we would call a recession today."
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    "dDurationMs": 1880,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "What causes recessions?"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "This question has long been the subject \nof heated debate among economists,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "and for good reason."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "A recession can be a mild decline in \neconomic activity"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 2730,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "in a single country that lasts months,"
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  }, {
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    "dDurationMs": 4810,
    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "a long-lasting downturn with global \nramifications that last years,"
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  }, {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "or anything in between."
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  }, {
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "Complicating matters further,"
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      "utf8": "there are countless variables that \ncontribute to an economy’s health,"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "making it difficult to pinpoint \nspecific causes."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "So it helps to start with the big picture:"
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      "utf8": "recessions occur when there is a negative \ndisruption"
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "to the balance between supply and demand."
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      "utf8": "There’s a mismatch between how many \ngoods people want to buy,"
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      "utf8": "An economy’s relationship between supply \nand demand"
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      "utf8": "is reflected in its inflation rates \nand interest rates."
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      "utf8": "Inflation happens when goods and services \nget more expensive."
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      "utf8": "Put another way, the value \nof money decreases."
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      "utf8": "In fact, a low inflation rate is thought \nto encourage economic activity."
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      "utf8": "can both cause problems for an economy \nand eventually lead to a recession."
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      "utf8": "Interest rates, meanwhile,"
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      "utf8": "The rate is typically an annual percentage\nof a loan"
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      "utf8": "which they can use to invest \nin more projects."
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      "utf8": "High interest rates, meanwhile, increase \ncosts for producers and consumers,"
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      "utf8": "but what causes these fluctuations \nin the first place?"
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      "utf8": "The most obvious causes are shocks \nlike natural disaster, war,"
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      "utf8": "can destroy the infrastructure needed to \nproduce important commodities such as oil."
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      "utf8": "But some recessions occur in times of \neconomic prosperity—"
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      "utf8": "Psychology can also contribute \nto a recession."
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      "utf8": "That can lead to a vicious cycle as cost \ncuts eventually lower wages,"
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      "utf8": "Even policy designed to help prevent \nrecessions can contribute."
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    "segs": [ {
      "utf8": "making today’s recessions far \nmore difficult to navigate."
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      "utf8": "But each recession provides new data to \nhelp anticipate and respond"
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