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Government Size and Business Cycle Volatility: How Important are Credit Constraints?

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  • Markus Leibrecht
  • Johann Scharler

Abstract

type="main" xml:id="ecca12103-abs-0001"> In this paper we analyse how the availability of credit influences the relationship between government size as a proxy for fiscal stabilization policy and the amplitude of business cycle fluctuations in a sample of advanced OECD countries. Interpreting relatively low loan-to-value ratios as an indication of tight credit constraints, we find that government size exerts a stabilizing effect on output and consumption growth fluctuations only when credit constraints are relatively tight. Our results provide support for the hypothesis that credit market frictions play a crucial role in the transmission of fiscal policy.

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  • Markus Leibrecht & Johann Scharler, 2015. "Government Size and Business Cycle Volatility: How Important are Credit Constraints?," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 82(326), pages 201-221, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:econom:v:82:y:2015:i:326:p:201-221
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    2. Fabrice Collard & Harris Dellas & George Tavlas, 2017. "Government Size and Macroeconomic Volatility," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 84(336), pages 797-819, October.
    3. Abdulaziz H. Algaeed, 2022. "Government Spending Volatility and Real Economic Growth: Evidence From a Major Oil Producing Country, Saudi Arabia, 1970 to 2018," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, April.
    4. Quintero Otero, Jorge David & Padilla Sierra, Alcides de Jesús, 2024. "Impacto de la sincronización sub-nacional sobre el comportamiento de los ciclos nacionales en economías emergentes con inflación objetivo," Documentos Departamento de Economía 54, Universidad del Norte.
    5. Stojanovikj, Martin, 2022. "Government size, inflation targeting and business cycle volatility," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-12.
    6. Solomos, Dionysios & Papageorgiou, Theofanis & Koumparoulis, Dimitrios, 2012. "Financial Sector and Business Cycles Determinants in the EMU context: An Empirical Approach (1996-2011)," MPRA Paper 43858, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles

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