One could argue he set the stage for the 1980s economic boom by making short term sacrifices that cost him re-election. It was his administration that did market-oriented deregulation around airlines and trucking industries (meaning you didn't need to have a licence to ship goods across state lines and go through monopoly trucking companies to get your goods to market) as well as appointed Paul Volcker as Fed chair with the mandate to end the stagflation of the era (which meant he jacked up interest rates, causing the economy to temporarily slow down). There is a quite probably apocryphal quote that Jimmy Carter asked Volcker "can you end inflation" to which Volcker replied "Yes, but it'll probably cost you re-election" and Carter said do it. Reagan then swept in under these conditions.
Most of the "market reforms" under Reagan were more pro-business than pro-market and resulted in big problems like the savings and loan crisis, among other things.
Carter was also a very uninspiring person who mused too much in interviews and press conferences, which didn't look decisive to the general public, even though it showed how he was thinking.
Either way, he was an underrated president that was more a victim of timing and did what was best for the country.
Most of the "market reforms" under Reagan were more pro-business than pro-market and resulted in big problems like the savings and loan crisis, among other things.
Carter was also a very uninspiring person who mused too much in interviews and press conferences, which didn't look decisive to the general public, even though it showed how he was thinking.
Either way, he was an underrated president that was more a victim of timing and did what was best for the country.