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On the (de)stabilizing effect of public debt in a Ramsey model with heterogeneous agents

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  • Kazuo Nishimura
  • Carine Nourry
  • Thomas Seegmuller
  • Alain Venditti

Abstract

type="main" xml:lang="en"> We introduce public debt in a Ramsey model with heterogeneous agents and a public spending externality affecting utility which is financed by income tax and public debt. We show that public debt considered as a fixed portion of GDP can have a stabilizing or destabilizing effect, depending on some fundamental elasticities. When the public spending externality is weak and the elasticity of capital–labor substitution is low enough, public debt can only be destabilizing, generating damped or persistent macroeconomic fluctuations. However, when the public spending externality and the elasticity of capital–labor substitution are strong enough, public debt can be stabilizing, driving to monotone convergence an economy experiencing damped or persistent fluctuations without debt.

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  • Kazuo Nishimura & Carine Nourry & Thomas Seegmuller & Alain Venditti, 2015. "On the (de)stabilizing effect of public debt in a Ramsey model with heterogeneous agents," International Journal of Economic Theory, The International Society for Economic Theory, vol. 11(1), pages 7-24, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijethy:v:11:y:2015:i:1:p:7-24
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    1. Arnaud Cheron & Kazuo Nishimura & Carine Nourry & Thomas Seegmuller & Alain Venditti, 2019. "Growth and Public Debt: What Are the Relevant Trade‐Offs?," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 51(2-3), pages 655-682, March.
    2. Becker, Robert A. & Borissov, Kirill & Dubey, Ram Sewak, 2015. "Ramsey equilibrium with liberal borrowing," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 296-304.
    3. Boucekkine, Raouf & Nishimura, Kazuo & Venditti, Alain, 2015. "Introduction to financial frictions and debt constraints," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 271-275.
    4. KONDO Atsumasa, "undated". "The Role of Productivity Growth Rates for Rising Inequality in an Economy with Heterogeneous Agents," ESRI Discussion paper series 326, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    5. Sueyoshi, Toshiyuki & Yuan, Yan, 2016. "Marginal Rate of Transformation and Rate of Substitution measured by DEA environmental assessment: Comparison among European and North American nations," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 270-287.
    6. Nishimura, Kazuo & Seegmuller, Thomas & Venditti, Alain, 2015. "Fiscal policy, debt constraint and expectations-driven volatility," Journal of Mathematical Economics, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 305-316.

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    JEL classification:

    • C62 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Existence and Stability Conditions of Equilibrium
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • H23 - Public Economics - - Taxation, Subsidies, and Revenue - - - Externalities; Redistributive Effects; Environmental Taxes and Subsidies

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