Suchergebnisse

Debt in service of the state -- States and the limits of borrowing -- Democratization and globalization -- Caveat emptor -- Managing problem debts -- Successful consolidation -- Warfare to welfare -- Cycles of debt -- Oil and water -- Missed opportunities -- Debt to the rescue -- COVID-19.

In recent decades, governments have built up substantial public debt, which is often accompanied by a growing public sector and fiscal policies that neglect long-term considerations. The contributors to this CESifo volume consider whether the development of public debt in the United States and six EU countries is sustainable - that is, whether fiscal policies in these countries can be continued without creating the potential for government bankruptcy. - The sustainability of public debt presents a challenge not only to public policy design but also to economic theory. This collection is the first book-length analysis of the theoretical foundations of public debt sustainability concepts and their application to the empirical study of actual budgetary policies. Conditions for public debt sustainability are derived and applied to various institutional environments. Country studies cover the United States, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland, with special emphasis in the EU chapters on the fiscal criteria for entrance into the European Monetary Union and the Stability and Growth Pact. The contributors find that in most countries, fiscal policy turns out to be sustainable in the long run and that all countries (with the possible exception of Italy) were able to return to a sustainable path after a period of unsustainability.

"This book comprises four chapters, each of which examines public debt from a specific economic perspective. Chapter 1 studies potential fiscal externalities of the public debt in the framework of a monetary union. Chapter 2 examines the theoretical literature concerning how and if public debt impairs economic growth and finds no univocal and straightforward answer. Chapter 3 discusses the economic impact of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and addresses the question of whether limits to public debt ought to be respected or disregarded in the face of huge unemployment, collapsing tax revenues, and generous public expenditure programs. Lastly, Chapter 4 analyzes the response of central banks in emerging inflation targeting countries with floating exchange rates to changes in public debt."