Stagnation theory in the light of recent history. 
I. My book on maturity and stagnation was concerned with 
a particular period of history (ending in 1939) and a 
particular country - the U.S. which was choosen, in 
part, because at the time it approximated reasonably 
well to a closed system with negligibly small taxation 
and budget. The question arises how far these ideas 
are relevant for other countries and for more recent 
periods. The questions, this much is sure, become 
then rather more complicated.