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Optimal Fiscal Policy with Heterogeneous Agents and Aggregate Shocks

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  • François Le Grand

    (EMLYON Business School)

  • Xavier Ragot

    (Observatoire français des conjonctures économiques)

Abstract

We provide a theory of truncation for incomplete insurance-market economies with aggregate shocks, which is shown to be a consistent representation of standard incomplete-market economies. This representation allows deriving optimal policies with capital and aggregate shock. We apply this framework to an economy where the government can use capital and labor taxes, positive transfers and public debt to smooth aggregate shocks. The average capital tax is shown to be positive if and only if credit constraints are binding for some households. In a quantitative exercise, the capital tax appears to be more volatile than the labor tax and public debt is countercyclical and mean-reverting.

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  • François Le Grand & Xavier Ragot, 2017. "Optimal Fiscal Policy with Heterogeneous Agents and Aggregate Shocks," Sciences Po publications 2017-03, Sciences Po.
    • Handle: RePEc:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/6bl2553ksc9vlq1fltjs9h1cht
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    Cited by:

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    2. Ivens, Annika, 2018. "Optimal fiscal policy under private debt deleveraging," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 1-18.
    3. xavier Ragot & Francois Le Grand, 2018. "Sovereign Default and Liquidity: The Case for a World Safe," 2018 Meeting Papers 889, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    4. Le Grand, François & Ragot, Xavier, 2021. "Sovereign default and liquidity: The case for a world safe asset," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(C).
    5. Yikai Wang & Hans Holter & Marcus Hagedorn, 2015. "The Optimum Quantity of Capital and Debt," 2015 Meeting Papers 1220, Society for Economic Dynamics.
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    7. Wei Cui & Vincent Sterk, 2018. "Quantitative Easing," Discussion Papers 1830, Centre for Macroeconomics (CFM).
    8. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/4lhe3u3c38ojohjlcbfaupcjr is not listed on IDEAS
    9. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3jhmd4ib388m99gnolvi8klga2 is not listed on IDEAS
    10. YiLi Chien & Yi Wen, 2022. "Optimal Ramsey Taxation in Heterogeneous Agent Economies with Quasi-Linear Preferences," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 46, pages 124-160, October.
    11. Brand, Claus & Obstbaum, Meri & Coenen, Günter & Sondermann, David & Lydon, Reamonn & Ajevskis, Viktors & Hammermann, Felix & Angino, Siria & Hernborg, Nils & Basso, Henrique & Hertweck, Matthias & Bi, 2021. "Employment and the conduct of monetary policy in the euro area," Occasional Paper Series 275, European Central Bank.
    12. YiLi Chien & Yi Wen, 2019. "Don't Tax Capital---Optimal Ramsey Taxation in Heterogeneous Agent Economies with Quasi-Linear Preferences," 2019 Meeting Papers 258, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    13. Boris Chafwehé & François Courtoy, 2021. "Optimal Taxes and Transfers with Household Heterogeneity," LIDAM Discussion Papers IRES 2021009, Université catholique de Louvain, Institut de Recherches Economiques et Sociales (IRES).
    14. Marius Clemens & Ulrich Eydam & Maik Heinemann, 2020. "Inequality over the Business Cycle – The Role of Distributive Shocks," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1852, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
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    16. Cui, Wei & Sterk, Vincent, 2021. "Quantitative easing with heterogeneous agents," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 68-90.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Incomplete markets; Optimal policy; Public debt;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E21 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Consumption; Saving; Wealth
    • E44 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Money and Interest Rates - - - Financial Markets and the Macroeconomy
    • D91 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Role and Effects of Psychological, Emotional, Social, and Cognitive Factors on Decision Making
    • D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution

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