IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ecl/upafin/12-10.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Stability and Growth Pact and Fiscal Discipline in the Eurozone

Author

Listed:
  • Ngai, Victor

    (University of PA)

Abstract

The Economic and Monetary Union in the European Union relies on fiscal coordination among member states to prevent excessive levels of deficit and debt and to ensure the stability of its single currency. This paper examines the framework of fiscal rules put in place before and after the launch of the euro. I find that enforcement of the budgetary limits in the Stability and Growth Pact was insufficient at the institutional level by the European Commission and by the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), as well as at the level of the financial markets. In order for fiscal rules across the Eurozone to be successful, proposals for reforming the Pact, including the Six-Pack and the Fiscal Compact Treaty, will need to address enforcement problems on both political and market levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Ngai, Victor, 2012. "Stability and Growth Pact and Fiscal Discipline in the Eurozone," Working Papers 12-10, University of Pennsylvania, Wharton School, Weiss Center.
  • Handle: RePEc:ecl:upafin:12-10
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://fic.wharton.upenn.edu/fic/papers/12/12-10.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Andrew Hughes Hallett & Svend Jensen, 2011. "Stable and enforceable: a new fiscal framework for the Euro area," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 8(3), pages 225-245, September.
    2. Carlos Marinheiro, 2008. "The stability and growth pact, fiscal policy institutions and stabilization in Europe," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 189-207, July.
    3. Jean‐Paul Fitoussi & Francesco Saraceno, 2008. "Fiscal Discipline as a Social Norm: The European Stability Pact," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 10(6), pages 1143-1168, December.
    4. Berthold Busch & Michael Grömling & Jürgen Matthes, 2011. "Current account deficits in Greece, Portugal and Spain — origins and consequences," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 46(6), pages 354-360, December.
    5. Afonso, António & Furceri, Davide & Gomes, Pedro, 2012. "Sovereign credit ratings and financial markets linkages: Application to European data," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 606-638.
    6. Sławomir Bukowski, 2011. "Economic and Monetary Union – Current Fiscal Disturbances and the Future," International Advances in Economic Research, Springer;International Atlantic Economic Society, vol. 17(3), pages 274-287, August.
    7. Thierry Warin, 2007. "Stability and Growth Pact II? Let’s Move On to SGP III: “À la carte”," Middlebury College Working Paper Series 0702, Middlebury College, Department of Economics.
    8. Jonas Fischer & Lars Jonung & Martin Larch, 2007. "101 Proposals to reform the Stability and Growth Pact. Why so many? A Survey," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 267, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.
    9. Muscatelli, Vito A. & Natale, Piergiovanna & Tirelli, Patrizio, 2012. "A simple and flexible alternative to Stability and Growth Pact deficit ceilings. Is it at hand?," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 28(1), pages 14-26.
    10. von Hagen, Jurgen & Wolff, Guntram B., 2006. "What do deficits tell us about debt? Empirical evidence on creative accounting with fiscal rules in the EU," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(12), pages 3259-3279, December.
    11. De Grauwe, Paul, 2009. "Why should we believe the market this time?," ECMI Papers 1623, Centre for European Policy Studies.
    12. Mark Setterfield, 2009. "Fiscal and monetary policy interactions: lessons for revising the EU Stability and Growth Pact," Journal of Post Keynesian Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 31(4), pages 623-643, July.
    13. André Fourçans & Thierry Warin, 2007. "Stability and Growth Pact II: Incentives and Moral Hazard," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 51-62.
    14. Astrid Lemmer & Dan Stegarescu, 2009. "Revenue windfalls and expenditure slippages: Disappointing implementation of the reformed stability and growth pact," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 44(3), pages 159-165, May.
    15. Mathieu Segers & Femke Van Esch, 2007. "Behind the Veil of Budgetary Discipline: The Political Logic of the Budgetary Rules in EMU and the SGP," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(5), pages 1089-1109, December.
    16. André Fourçans & Thierry Warin, 2007. "Stability and Growth Pact II: Incentives and Moral Hazard," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 10(1), pages 51-62.
    17. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/9909 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. Mathieu Segers & Femke Van Esch, 2007. "Behind the Veil of Budgetary Discipline: The Political Logic of the Budgetary Rules in EMU and the SGP," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45, pages 1089-1109, December.
    19. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/9909 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Mark Hallerberg, 2011. "Fiscal federalism reforms in the European Union and the Greek crisis," European Union Politics, , vol. 12(1), pages 127-142, March.
    21. Eichengreen, Barry, 2005. "Europe, the euro and the ECB: Monetary success, fiscal failure," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 427-439, June.
    22. Assar Lindbeck & Dirk Niepelt, 2006. "The Stability Pact – Rationales, Problems, Alternatives," Kyklos, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 59(4), pages 579-600, November.
    23. Hauptmeier, Sebastian & Sanchez-Fuentes, A. Jesus & Schuknecht, Ludger, 2011. "Towards expenditure rules and fiscal sanity in the euro area," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 597-617, July.
    24. Bertrand Candelon & Joan Muysken & Robert Vermeulen, 2010. "Fiscal policy and monetary integration in Europe: an update," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 62(2), pages 323-349, April.
    25. Roman Goldbach & Christian Fahrholz, 2011. "The euro area's common default risk: Evidence on the Commission's impact on European fiscal affairs," European Union Politics, , vol. 12(4), pages 507-528, December.
    26. Charles Wyplosz, 2006. "European Monetary Union: the dark sides of a major success [‘The macroeconomics of low inflation’]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 21(46), pages 208-261.
    27. Kazimierz Laski & Leon Podkaminer, 2012. "The basic paradigms of EU economic policy-making need to be changed," Cambridge Journal of Economics, Oxford University Press, vol. 36(1), pages 253-270.
    28. Patrick Leblond, 2006. "The Political Stability and Growth Pact is Dead: Long Live the Economic Stability and Growth Pact," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(5), pages 969-990, December.
    29. Paudyn, Bartholomew, 2011. "The uncertain (re)politicisation of fiscal relations in Europe: a shift in EMU's modes of governance," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 59627, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    30. Peter Bofinger & Stefan Ried, 2010. "A new framework for fiscal policy consolidation in Europe," Intereconomics: Review of European Economic Policy, Springer;ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics;Centre for European Policy Studies (CEPS), vol. 45(4), pages 203-211, July.
    31. Martin Heipertz & Amy Verdun, 2005. "The Stability and Growth Pact ‐ Theorizing a Case in European Integration," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(5), pages 985-1008, December.
    32. repec:kap:iaecre:v:17:y:2011:i:3:p:274-287 is not listed on IDEAS
    33. Beetsma, Roel M.W.J. & Debrun, Xavier, 2007. "The new stability and growth pact: A first assessment," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 453-477, February.
    34. Christian Saint-Étienne, 2007. "Comment améliorer la gouvernance économique européenne ?," Revue Française d'Économie, Programme National Persée, vol. 21(4), pages 127-143.
    35. Patrick Leblond, 2006. "The Political Stability and Growth Pact is Dead: Long Live the Economic Stability and Growth Pact," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44, pages 969-990, December.
    36. Karl Whelan, 2011. "Ireland’s Sovereign Debt Crisis," Working Papers 201109, School of Economics, University College Dublin.
    37. Jakob De Haan & Helge Berger & David‐Jan Jansen, 2004. "Why has the Stability and Growth Pact Failed?," International Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(2), pages 235-260, July.
    38. Marco Buti & Lucio R. Pench, 2004. "Why Do Large Countries Flout the Stability Pact? And What Can Be Done About It?," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(5), pages 1025-1032, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Julia del Amo Valor & Marcos Martín Mateos & Diego Martínez López & Javier J. Pérez, 2023. "Is the European economic governance framework too “complex”? A critical discussion," Working Papers 2023-06, FEDEA.
    2. IALOMITIANU Razvan Gheorghe & BOLDEANU Teodor Florin, 2017. "Romania And The Euro. An Overview Of Maastricht Convergence Criteria Fulfillment," Revista Economica, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Faculty of Economic Sciences, vol. 69(1), pages 74-87, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Paolo Biraschi, "undated". "Searching for the optimal EMU fiscal rule:an ex-post analysis of the SGP reform proposals," Working Papers wp2008-7, Department of the Treasury, Ministry of the Economy and of Finance.
    2. Julia del Amo Valor & Marcos Martín Mateos & Diego Martínez López & Javier J. Pérez, 2023. "Is the European economic governance framework too “complex”? A critical discussion," Working Papers 2023-06, FEDEA.
    3. Torój, Andrzej & Bednarek, Elżbieta & Bęza-Bojanowska, Joanna & Osińska, Joanna & Waćko, Katarzyna & Witkowski, Dariusz, 2012. "EMU: the (post-)crisis perspective. Literature survey and implications for the euro-candidates," MF Working Papers 12, Ministry of Finance in Poland, revised 06 Mar 2012.
    4. Győrffy, Dóra, 2008. "Költségvetési kiigazítás és növekedés az Európai Unióban. Tanulságok Magyarország számára [Budget adjustment and growth in the European Union lessons for Hungary]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(11), pages 962-986.
    5. Vyprachticka, Terezie, 2011. "Could the Stability and Growth Pact be Substituted by the Financial Markets?," European Integration online Papers (EIoP), European Community Studies Association Austria (ECSA-A), vol. 15, September.
    6. Xavier Debrun & David Hauner & Manmohan S. Kumar, 2009. "Independent Fiscal Agencies," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 23(1), pages 44-81, February.
    7. Roman Goldbach & Christian Fahrholz, 2011. "The euro area's common default risk: Evidence on the Commission's impact on European fiscal affairs," European Union Politics, , vol. 12(4), pages 507-528, December.
    8. Thushyanthan Baskaran & Zohal Hessami, 2011. "A Tale of Five PIIGS: Soft Budget Constraints and the EMU Sovereign Debt Crises," Working Paper Series of the Department of Economics, University of Konstanz 2011-45, Department of Economics, University of Konstanz.
    9. Carlos Closa & Aleksandra Maatsch, 2014. "In a Spirit of Solidarity? Justifying the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) in National Parliamentary Debates," Journal of Common Market Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(4), pages 826-842, July.
    10. Frank A.G. den Butter & Mathieu L.L. Segers, 2014. "Prospects for an EMU between Federalism and Nationalism," Tinbergen Institute Discussion Papers 14-008/VI, Tinbergen Institute.
    11. Baerg, Nicole Rae & Hallerberg, Mark, 2014. "Rule Bending in International Organizations: Explaining Instability in the Stability and Growth Pact," MPRA Paper 18084, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Leopold Diebalek & Doris Prammer, 2006. "Reform of the Stability and Growth Pact," Monetary Policy & the Economy, Oesterreichische Nationalbank (Austrian Central Bank), issue 1, pages 78-109.
    13. Matthias Bauer & Martin Zenker, 2012. "Market Discipline Under A Politicised Multilateral Fiscal Rule - Lessons from the Stability and Growth Pact Debate," Global Financial Markets Working Paper Series 2012-35, Friedrich-Schiller-University Jena.
    14. Cronin, David & McQuinn, Kieran, 2020. "Are official forecasts of output growth in the EU still biased? Evidence from stability and convergence programmes and the European Commission’s Spring forecasts," Papers WP681, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    15. Paul Schure & Amy Verdun, 2008. "Legislative Bargaining in the European Union," European Union Politics, , vol. 9(4), pages 459-486, December.
    16. Beetsma, Roel & Giuliodori, Massimo & Walschot, Mark & Wierts, Peter, 2013. "Fifty years of fiscal planning and implementation in the Netherlands," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 119-138.
    17. Huart Florence, 2013. "Is Fiscal Policy Procyclical in the Euro Area?," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 73-88, February.
    18. Ludger Schuknecht & Philippe Moutot & Philipp Rother & Jürgen Stark, 2011. "The Stability and Growth Pact: Crisis and Reform," CESifo DICE Report, Ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 9(3), pages 10-18, October.
    19. Thushyanthan Baskaran & Zohal Hessami, 2017. "Monetary integration, soft budget constraints, and the EMU sovereign debt crises," Economics and Politics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(3), pages 252-275, November.
    20. Roel M.W.J.Beetsma & Frederick van der Ploeg, 2007. "The political economy of public investment," European Economy - Economic Papers 2008 - 2015 276, Directorate General Economic and Financial Affairs (DG ECFIN), European Commission.

    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
    • H60 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - General
    • H87 - Public Economics - - Miscellaneous Issues - - - International Fiscal Issues; International Public Goods

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ecl:upafin:12-10. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: the person in charge (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/wcupaus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.