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Characteristics of fiscal policy in Croatia: does it depend on the phase of the business cycle?

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  • Vladimir Arcabic

    (University of Zagreb, Faculty of Economics and Business, Zagreb, Croatia)

  • Frane Banic

    (Croatian National Bank, Zagreb, Croatia)

Abstract

This paper analyzes fiscal policy sustainability and cyclicality in Croatia. The main novelty of the paper is that our fiscal response function allows for asymmetric behavior over the business cycle. We allow fiscal policy sustainability and cyclicality to differ across the expansionary and recessionary regimes. The overall results suggest that fiscal policy in Croatia is both sustainable and countercyclical. We find evidence of asymmetric behavior of fiscal policy cyclicality. In the expansionary regime, fiscal policy is countercyclical, while in the recessionary regime, it varies between procyclical and acyclical. On the other hand, we find only limited evidence of asymmetric behavior of public debt sustainability. During good times, Croatian policymakers try to keep fiscal policy both sustainable and countercyclical, which is required fiscal policy behavior. In recessionary times, the characteristics of fiscal policy are not so clear, but tend to be procyclical or acyclical.

Suggested Citation

  • Vladimir Arcabic & Frane Banic, 2021. "Characteristics of fiscal policy in Croatia: does it depend on the phase of the business cycle?," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 45(4), pages 433-457.
    • Handle: RePEc:ipf:psejou:v:45:y:2021:i:4:p:433-457
    DOI: 10.3326/pse.45.4.3
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    Cited by:

    1. Marko Crnogorac & Santiago Lago-Peñas, 2023. "An analysis of COFOG expenditures in former Yugoslavian countries," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 47(2), pages 233-254.
    2. Frane Banic & Dominik Ivan Pripuzic & Pave Rebic, 2023. "Short- and medium-term fiscal positions in a high-inflation environment: the case of Croatia," Public Sector Economics, Institute of Public Finance, vol. 47(4), pages 461-475.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal policy; sustainability; cyclicality; uncertainty; public debt; nonlinear models;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H62 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Deficit; Surplus
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • C24 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Truncated and Censored Models; Switching Regression Models; Threshold Regression Models

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