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Optimal Government Spending at the Zero Lower Bound: A Non-Ricardian Analysis

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  • Taisuke Nakata

Abstract

This paper analyzes the implications of distortionary taxation and debt financing for optimal government spending policy in a sticky-price economy where the nominal interest rate is subject to the zero lower bound constraint. Regardless of the type of tax available and the initial debt level, optimal government spending policy in a recession is characterized by an initial increase followed by a reduction below, and an eventual return to, the steady state. The magnitude of variations in the government spending as well as their welfare implications depend importantly on the available tax instrument and the initial debt level.

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  • Taisuke Nakata, 2015. "Optimal Government Spending at the Zero Lower Bound: A Non-Ricardian Analysis," Finance and Economics Discussion Series 2015-38, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    • Handle: RePEc:fip:fedgfe:2015-38
    DOI: 10.17016/FEDS.2015.038
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    Cited by:

    1. Marius Brülhart & Didier Dupertuis & Elodie Moreau, 2018. "Inheritance flows in Switzerland, 1911–2011," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics, Springer;Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics, vol. 154(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Jordan Roulleau‐Pasdeloup, 2018. "The Government Spending Multiplier in a (Mis)Managed Liquidity Trap," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 50(2-3), pages 293-315, March.
    3. Rodríguez Arosemena, Nicolás, 2018. "The Dominium Mundi Game and the Case for Artificial Intelligence in Economics and the Law," MPRA Paper 90560, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Aloui, Rym & Eyquem, Aurélien, 2019. "Spending multipliers with distortionary taxes: Does the level of public debt matter?," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 275-293.
    5. Dmitry Matveev, 2021. "Time‐Consistent Management of a Liquidity Trap with Government Debt," Journal of Money, Credit and Banking, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 53(8), pages 2129-2165, December.
    6. Bouakez, Hafedh & Guillard, Michel & Roulleau-Pasdeloup, Jordan, 2020. "The optimal composition of public spending in a deep recession," Journal of Monetary Economics, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 334-349.
    7. Nakata, Taisuke, 2016. "Optimal fiscal and monetary policy with occasionally binding zero bound constraints," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 220-240.
    8. Schmidt, Sebastian, 2016. "Lack of confidence, the zero lower bound, and the virtue of fiscal rules," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 36-53.
    9. Richter, Alexander W. & Throckmorton, Nathaniel A., 2016. "Is Rotemberg pricing justified by macro data?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 44-48.
    10. Mackowiak, Bartosz & Corsetti, Giancarlo & Dedola, Luca & Schmidt, Sebastian & Jarocinski, Marek, 2017. "Macroeconomic Stabilization, Monetary-Fiscal Interactions, and Europe’s Monetary Union," CEPR Discussion Papers 12371, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    11. Florin O. Bilbiie, 2019. "Optimal Forward Guidance," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 11(4), pages 310-345, October.
    12. Corsetti, Giancarlo & Dedola, Luca & Jarociński, Marek & Maćkowiak, Bartosz & Schmidt, Sebastian, 2019. "Macroeconomic stabilization, monetary-fiscal interactions, and Europe's monetary union," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 22-33.
    13. Billi , Roberto M. & Walsh, Carl E., 2022. "Seemingly Irresponsible but Welfare Improving Fiscal Policy at the Lower Bound," Working Paper Series 410, Sveriges Riksbank (Central Bank of Sweden).
    14. Séverine Menguy, 2016. "Optimal Budgetary Policies in New-Keynesian Models: Can they help when the Zero Lower Bound is binding?," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 43-98.
    15. Florin O. Bilbiie, 2022. "Neo-Fisherian Policies and Liquidity Traps," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 378-403, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Commitment; distortionary taxation; government spending; liquidity traps; nominal debt; optimal policy; zero lower bound;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E32 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Prices, Business Fluctuations, and Cycles - - - Business Fluctuations; Cycles
    • E52 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Monetary Policy, Central Banking, and the Supply of Money and Credit - - - Monetary Policy
    • E61 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Policy Objectives; Policy Designs and Consistency; Policy Coordination
    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory
    • 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

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