Since that time, governments of a wide array of political leanings have routinely adopted Keynesian demand-man-agement policies, up until the 1970s. Those policies entailed "leaning against the wind". During economic downturns, governments would increase spending on goods and services to soften the blow of unemployment and recession. Conversely, government spending would be cut during inflationary periods when the source of the problem was deemed to be business and household spending that exceeded the ability of the economy to produce.