Fiscal policy, debt constraint and expectations-driven volatility

B-Tier
Journal: Journal of Mathematical Economics
Year: 2015
Volume: 61
Issue: C
Pages: 305-316

Score contribution per author:

0.670 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Imposing some constraints on public debt is often justified regarding sustainability and stability issues. This is especially the case when the ratio of public debt over GDP is restricted to be constant. Using a Ramsey model, we show that such a constraint can however be a fundamental source of indeterminacy, and therefore, of expectations-driven fluctuations. Indeed, through the intertemporal budget constraint of the government, income taxation negatively depends on future debt, i.e. on the expected level of production. This mechanism ensures that expectations on the future tax rate may be self-fulfilling. We show that this is promoted by a larger ratio of debt over GDP.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:mateco:v:61:y:2015:i:c:p:305-316
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-26