Not simply economics Dave, the shareholders must also be kept happy. The profit motive rules supreme and human greed creates the bubbles and fear the ensuing slumps. Morality is not, and cannot ever be a part of the equation in a capitalist system. That fact of life and also the reality that legally corporations are discrete entities both create many of our problems.
Perhaps theoretical economics is a reliable tool, though I very much doubt it. But economics is not the issue, it is capitalism and its fiendish cousin from the darkside called globalism, Sadly they are both unfettered devils that have been unleashed on unsuspecting humanity.
The final chains were broken by Reagan and Thatcher.