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Monetary financing of public investment: a viable way forward for the euro area?

Author

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  • Andrew Watt

    (Macroeconomic Policy Institute (IMK), Hans Böckler Foundation, Düsseldorf, Germany)

Abstract

This article poses the question of whether monetary financing of public investment constitutes a viable way forward for the euro area. The problems of low inflation, high unemployment and public debts seem scarcely resolvable in an environment that is constrained by the virtual exhaustion of monetary policy and legal limitations on expansionary fiscal policy. The author draws on the literature on monetary finance to identify key features of a scheme that could function in the context of EMU. He proposes to achieve an indirect monetary financing of public investment by the ECB committing to take newly issued EIB bonds on to its balance sheet. This would be essentially costless in a deflationary environment and could be expected to exhibit high multiplier effects. The independence of the ECB is maintained by making bond purchases subject to an inflation ‘trigger’.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Watt, 2016. "Monetary financing of public investment: a viable way forward for the euro area?," European Journal of Economics and Economic Policies: Intervention, Edward Elgar Publishing, vol. 13(2), pages 241-254, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:elg:ejeepi:v:13:y:2016:i:2:p241-254
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Orsola Costantini, 2020. "The Eurozone as a Trap and a Hostage: Obstacles and Prospects of the Debate on European Fiscal Rules," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 55(5), pages 284-291, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    monetary finance; monetary policy; public investment; euro area; ECB; EIB;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E02 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Institutions and the Macroeconomy
    • E12 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General Aggregative Models - - - Keynes; Keynesian; Post-Keynesian; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • E24 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Employment; Unemployment; Wages; Intergenerational Income Distribution; Aggregate Human Capital; Aggregate Labor Productivity
    • E31 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Price Level; Inflation; Deflation
    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy
    • H54 - Public Economics - - National Government Expenditures and Related Policies - - - Infrastructures
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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