Are the Economy’s ‘Green Shoots,’ Real or Imagined?

Is recovery just around the corner?:

Room for Debate, NY Times Blog: Ben Bernanke, the Federal Reserve chairman, said on CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he is seeing “green shoots” showing up in the economic landscape, “as some confidence begins to come back.” ... The latest New York Times/CBS News poll finds that Americans are more optimistic about the economy and the direction of the country than they were in January. ...

Is there reason to believe that Mr. Bernanke’s view is not wishful thinking?

• Hopeful Glimmers, But Not Enough, by Mark Thoma
• We haven't Seen the Worse, by Tyler Cowen
• In a Desert, Anything Looks Like New Growth, by Roger Altman
• Kicking Our Addiction, by Charles Lewis
• Repress Compulsive Optimism, by James Galbraith