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Unique equilibrium in the Eaton–Gersovitz model of sovereign debt

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  • Auclert, Adrien
  • Rognlie, Matthew

Abstract

A common view of sovereign debt markets is that they are prone to multiple equilibria. We prove that, to the contrary, Markov perfect equilibrium is unique in the widely studied model of Eaton and Gersovitz (1981), and we discuss multiple extensions and limitations of this finding. Our results show that no improvement in a borrower׳s reputation for repayment can be self-sustaining, thereby strengthening the Bulow and Rogoff (1989) argument that debt cannot be sustained by reputation alone.

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  • Auclert, Adrien & Rognlie, Matthew, 2016. "Unique equilibrium in the Eaton–Gersovitz model of sovereign debt," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 134-146.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:moneco:v:84:y:2016:i:c:p:134-146
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jmoneco.2016.10.013
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    Cited by:

    1. Mark Aguiar & Satyajit Chatterjee & Harold Cole & Zachary Stangebye, 2022. "Self-Fulfilling Debt Crises, Revisited," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 130(5), pages 1147-1183.
    2. Ayres, João & Navarro, Gaston & Nicolini, Juan Pablo & Teles, Pedro, 2018. "Sovereign default: The role of expectations," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 803-812.
    3. Aguiar, M. & Chatterjee, S. & Cole, H. & Stangebye, Z., 2016. "Quantitative Models of Sovereign Debt Crises," Handbook of Macroeconomics, in: J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), Handbook of Macroeconomics, edition 1, volume 2, chapter 0, pages 1697-1755, Elsevier.
    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. Alessandro Dovis & Luigi Bocola, 2015. "Indeterminacy in Sovereign Debt Markets: An Empirical Investigation," 2015 Meeting Papers 694, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    6. Bloise, Gaetano & Polemarchakis, Herakles & Vailakis, Yiannis, 2017. "Sovereign debt and incentives to default with uninsurable risks," Theoretical Economics, Econometric Society, vol. 12(3), September.
    7. Sergio Rebelo & Neng Wang & Jinqiang Yang, 2018. "Rare Disasters, Financial Development, and Sovereign Debt," NBER Working Papers 25031, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/3jhmd4ib388m99gnolvi8klga2 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Mark Aguiar & Manuel Amador, 2020. "Self-Fulfilling Debt Dilution: Maturity and Multiplicity in Debt Models," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 110(9), pages 2783-2818, September.
    10. Gaetano Bloise & Yiannis Vailakis, 2022. "On sovereign default with time-varying interest rates," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 44, pages 211-224, April.
    11. Mark Aguiar & Satyajit Chatterjee & Harold L. Cole & Zachary Stangebye, 2017. "Self-Fulfilling Debt Crises, Revisited: The Art of the Desperate Deal," Working Papers 17-7, Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia.
    12. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/3jhmd4ib388m99gnolvi8klga2 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Zachary Stangebye & Satyajit Chatterjee & Harold Cole & Mark Aguiar, 2016. "Self-Fulfilling Sovereign Debt Crises," 2016 Meeting Papers 360, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    14. Zachary Stangebye, 2023. "Long-Term Sovereign Debt: A Steady State Analysis," Review of Economic Dynamics, Elsevier for the Society for Economic Dynamics, vol. 48, pages 107-131, April.
    15. Luigi Bocola & Alessandro Dovis, 2019. "Self-Fulfilling Debt Crises: A Quantitative Analysis," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(12), pages 4343-4377, December.
    16. Bloise, Gaetano & Polemarchakis, Herakles & Vailakis, Yiannis, 2018. "Sustainable Debt," CRETA Online Discussion Paper Series 45, Centre for Research in Economic Theory and its Applications CRETA.
    17. xavier Ragot & Francois Le Grand, 2018. "Sovereign Default and Liquidity: The Case for a World Safe," 2018 Meeting Papers 889, Society for Economic Dynamics.
    18. Corsetti, Giancarlo & Maeng, Seung Hyun, 2020. "Debt Crises, Fast and Slow," CEPR Discussion Papers 14868, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    19. Hatchondo, Juan Carlos & Martinez, Leonardo & Roch, Francisco, 2022. "Numerical fiscal rules for economic unions: The role of sovereign spreads," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 210(C).
    20. Giancarlo Corsetti, 2023. "Debt crises, fast and slow Giancarlo," RSCAS Working Papers 2023/15, European University Institute.
    21. Stangebye, Zachary R., 2020. "Beliefs and long-maturity sovereign debt," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    22. Stangebye, Zachary, 2015. "Dynamic Panics: Theory and Application to the Eurozone," MPRA Paper 69967, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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