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Can the Central Bank Alleviate Fiscal Burdens?

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  • Reis, Ricardo

Abstract

Central banks affect the resources available to fiscal authorities through the impact of their policies on the public debt, as well as through their income, their mix of assets, their liabilities, and their own solvency. This paper inspects the ability of the central bank to alleviate the fiscal burden by influencing different terms in the government resource constraint. It discusses five channels: (i) how inflation can (and cannot) lower the real burden of the public debt, (ii) how seignorage is generated and subject to what constraints, (iii) whether central bank liabilities should count as public debt, (iv) how central bank assets create income risk, and whether or not this threatens its solvency, and (v) how the central bank balance sheet can be used for fiscal redistributions. Overall, it concludes that the scope for the central bank to lower the fiscal burden is limited.

Suggested Citation

  • Reis, Ricardo, 2017. "Can the Central Bank Alleviate Fiscal Burdens?," CEPR Discussion Papers 11736, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:11736
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    Cited by:

    1. Patrick Bolton & Haizhou Huang, 2017. "The Capital Structure of Nations," NBER Working Papers 23612, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Alexandre Corhay & Thilo Kind & Howard Kung & Gonzalo Morales, 2023. "Discount Rates, Debt Maturity, and the Fiscal Theory," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 78(6), pages 3561-3620, December.
    3. N. Gregory Mankiw & Ricardo Reis, 2018. "Friedman's Presidential Address in the Evolution of Macroeconomic Thought," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 32(1), pages 81-96, Winter.
    4. Dimakopoulou, Vasiliki & Economides, George & Philippopoulos, Apostolis & Vassilatos, Vanghelis, 2024. "Can central banks do the unpleasant job that governments should do?," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
    5. Mankiw, N Gregory & Reis, Ricardo, 2017. "Friedman’s Presidential Address in the Evolution of Macroeconomic Thought," CEPR Discussion Papers 12442, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    6. Bolton, Patrick & Huang, Haizhou, 2017. "The Capital Structure of Nations," CEPR Discussion Papers 12157, Centre for Economic Policy Research.
    7. Dimakopoulou, Vasiliki & Economides, George & Philippopoulos, Apostolis, 2022. "The ECB's policy, the Recovery Fund and the importance of trust and fiscal corrections: The case of Greece," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    8. Patrick Bolton & Haizhou Huang, 2018. "The Capital Structure of Nations [Welfare analysis of currency regimes with defaultable debts]," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 22(1), pages 45-82.
    9. Barthélemy, Jean & Mengus, Eric & Plantin, Guillaume, 2024. "The central bank, the treasury, or the market: Which one determines the price level?," Journal of Economic Theory, Elsevier, vol. 220(C).
    10. George Economides & Dimitris Papageorgiou & Apostolis Philippopoulos, 2021. "Austerity, Assistance and Institutions: Lessons from the Greek Sovereign Debt Crisis," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(3), pages 435-478, July.
    11. Stan Olijslagers & Annelie Petersen & Nander de Vette & Sweder (S.J.G.) van Wijnbergen, 2018. "What Option Prices tell us about the ECB's Unconventional Monetary Policies," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 18-096/VI, Tinbergen Institute.
    12. Francisco Gomes Pereira, 2023. "Balance Sheet Expansionary Policies in the Euro Area: Macroeconomic Impacts and a Vulnerable versus Non-Vulnerable Comparison - A Bayesian Structural VAR Approach," Working Papers REM 2023/0259, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    13. de Vette, Nander & Petersen, Annelie & Stan Olijslager, Stan & van Wijnbergen, Sweder, 2018. "What Option Prices tell us about the ECB's Unconventional Monetary Policies," CEPR Discussion Papers 13371, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Philippe Bacchetta & Elena Perazzi, 2021. "CBDC as Imperfect Substitute for Bank Deposits: A Macroeconomic Perspective," Swiss Finance Institute Research Paper Series 21-81, Swiss Finance Institute.
    15. Jochem, Axel & Lecomte, Ernest, 2024. "Risky sovereign bond holdings by commercial banks in the euro area: Do safe assets availability and differences in bank funding costs play a role?," Discussion Papers 35/2024, Deutsche Bundesbank.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • E58 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Central Banks and Their Policies
    • E63 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Comparative or Joint Analysis of Fiscal and Monetary Policy; Stabilization; Treasury Policy
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy

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