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Why do governments end up with debt ? Short-run effects matter

Author

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  • Audrey Desbonnet

    (LEDa - Laboratoire d'Economie de Dauphine - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - Université Paris Dauphine-PSL - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Thomas Weitzenblum

    (EQUIPPE - Economie Quantitative, Intégration, Politiques Publiques et Econométrie - Université de Lille, Sciences et Technologies - Université de Lille, Sciences Humaines et Sociales - PRES Université Lille Nord de France - Université de Lille, Droit et Santé)

Abstract

This paper reconsiders the impact of public debt in an economy with heterogeneous households and incomplete markets to emphasize the short-run effects of an increase in public debt. As compared to models that rest on steady-state analysis, we show that the welfare gains of a public debt increase are substantially higher when transitional dynamics are accounted for. The additional debt issue allows for a temporary reduction in the income tax rate, which stimulates labor supply and generates an overshooting of the interest rate. The short-run gains create a temptation to deviate toward higher levels of debt. Debt increases continue to generate welfare gains even when debt is considerably higher than its long-run optimal level.

Suggested Citation

  • Audrey Desbonnet & Thomas Weitzenblum, 2012. "Why do governments end up with debt ? Short-run effects matter," Post-Print hal-01518357, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:journl:hal-01518357
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-7295.2011.00410.x
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-01518357
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    Cited by:

    1. Marco Cozzi, 2019. "Has the Canadian Public Debt Been Too High? A Quantitative Assessment," Department Discussion Papers 1901, Department of Economics, University of Victoria.
    2. William B. Peterman & Erick Sager, 2022. "Optimal Public Debt with Life Cycle Motives," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 404-437, October.
    3. Cozzi, Marco, 2023. "Public debt and welfare in a quantitative Schumpeterian growth model with incomplete markets," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    4. Desbonnet, Audrey & Kankanamge, Sumudu, 2017. "Public Debt And Aggregate Risk," Macroeconomic Dynamics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(8), pages 1996-2032, December.
    5. Chatterjee, Santanu & Gibson, John & Rioja, Felix, 2017. "Optimal public debt redux," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 83(C), pages 162-174.
    6. Chatterjee, Santanu & Gibson, John & Rioja, Felix, 2018. "Public investment, debt, and welfare: A quantitative analysis," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 204-217.
    7. Zuzana Mucka & Ludovit Odor, 2018. "Optimal sovereign debt: Case of Slovakia," Working Papers Working Paper No. 3/2018, Council for Budget Responsibility.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Government Policy; Public debt;

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