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Age gap in voter turnout and size of government debt

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  • Ryo Arawatari

    (Doshisha University)

  • Tetsuo Ono

    (Osaka University)

Abstract

We consider a cross-country difference in age gap in voter turnout and its impact on fiscal policy making in a multi-country, overlapping-generations model. We present the conflict over fiscal policy between successive generations (i.e., the young and elderly). We show that a higher turnout of the elderly in voting may have a non-monotonic effect on the size of government debt, depending on voters’ inter-temporal elasticity of substitution of public expenditure.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryo Arawatari & Tetsuo Ono, 2020. "Age gap in voter turnout and size of government debt," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(2), pages 435-460, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:itaxpf:v:27:y:2020:i:2:d:10.1007_s10797-019-09563-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s10797-019-09563-8
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    1. Ryo Arawatari & Tetsuo Ono, 2020. "Age gap in voter turnout and size of government debt," International Tax and Public Finance, Springer;International Institute of Public Finance, vol. 27(2), pages 435-460, April.
    2. Ryo Arawatari & Tetsuo Ono, 2023. "International coordination of debt rules with time‐inconsistent voters," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(1), pages 29-60, February.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Fiscal policy; Voter turnout; Public debt; Probabilistic voting;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D70 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - General
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • H63 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Debt; Debt Management; Sovereign Debt

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