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The Greek Public Debt Problem

Author

Listed:
  • Michalis Nikiforos
  • Dimitri B. Papadimitriou
  • Gennaro Zezza

Abstract

The Greek economic crisis started as a public debt crisis five years ago. However, despite austerity and a bold "haircut," public debt is now around 175 percent of Greek GDP. In this policy note, we argue that Greece's public debt is clearly unsustainable, and that a significant restructuring of this debt is needed in order for the Greek economy to start growing again. Insistence on maintaining the current policy stance is not justifiable on either pragmatic or moral grounds. The experience of Germany in the early post–World War II period provides some useful insights for the way forward. In the aftermath of the war, there was a sweeping cancellation of the country's public and foreign debt, which was part of a wider plan for the economic and political reconstruction of Germany and Europe. Seven decades later, while a solution to the unsustainability of the Greek public debt is a necessary condition for resolving the Greek and European crisis, it is not, in itself, sufficient. As the postwar experience shows, a broader agenda that deals with both Greece's domestic economic malaise and the structural imbalances in the eurozone is also of vital importance.

Suggested Citation

  • Michalis Nikiforos & Dimitri B. Papadimitriou & Gennaro Zezza, 2015. "The Greek Public Debt Problem," Economics Policy Note Archive 15-2, Levy Economics Institute.
  • Handle: RePEc:lev:levypn:15-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Michalis Nikiforos & Gennaro Zezza, 2017. "Towards an Understanding of the Greek Crisis and the Flawed Analyses of the Levy Economics Institute’s Publications: A Reply," Forum for Social Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(3), pages 311-314, July.
    2. Gaysset, Isabelle & Lagoarde-Segot, Thomas & Neaime, Simon, 2019. "Twin deficits and fiscal spillovers in the EMU's periphery. A Keynesian perspective," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 101-116.
    3. Costas Lapavitsas, 2019. "Political Economy of the Greek Crisis," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 51(1), pages 31-51, March.
    4. John Marangos, 2023. "The Post-Keynesian Perspective and Policy Recommendations for the Greek Financial Crisis," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 55(3), pages 423-447, September.
    5. Dimitri B. Papadimitriou & Michalis Nikiforos & Gennaro Zezza, 2016. "Greece: Getting Out of the Recession," Economics Strategic Analysis Archive sa_gr_9_16, Levy Economics Institute.
    6. Sergio Cesaratto & Gennaro Zezza, 2018. "Farsi male da soli: Disciplina esterna, domanda aggregata e il declino economico italiano," Working Papers 2018-05, Universita' di Cassino, Dipartimento di Economia e Giurisprudenza.
    7. Eftychia Nikolaidou, 2016. "The role of military expenditure and arms imports in the Greek debt crisis," Economics of Peace and Security Journal, EPS Publishing, vol. 11(1), pages 18-27, April.

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    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
    • F34 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - International Lending and Debt Problems
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • N10 - Economic History - - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics; Industrial Structure; Growth; Fluctuations - - - General, International, or Comparative
    • N94 - Economic History - - Regional and Urban History - - - Europe: 1913-

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