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I think "trickle-down economics" is usually a synonym for the Chicago School, promoted by Milton Friedman and exported (often forcefully) by the US government.

As for who's responsible for 'debunking' it, Thomas Piketty is the name I'd usually associate with popularising the skepticism towards the Chicago School.

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No Friedman acolyte that I'm aware of would actually endorse wealth transfers to the rich in the hopes that it would "trickle down" to everyone else. It's a simplistic caricature of a broad system of thinking that seeks to maximize individual economic freedom and broadly minimize taxation and unnecessary regulation.

Transferring publicly-owned assets to privately-owned companies is exactly what Friedman proposed to the various South American dictators he advised.

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