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Fiscal multipliers in recessions and expansions : does it matter whether government spending is increasing or decreasing ?

Author

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  • Riera-Crichton, Daniel
  • Vegh, Carlos A.
  • Vuletin, Guillermo

Abstract

Using non-linear methods, this paper finds that existing estimates of government spending multipliers in expansion and recession may yield biased results by ignoring whether government spending is increasing or decreasing. For industrial countries, the problem originates in the fact that, contrary to one's priors, it is not always the case that government spending is going up in recessions (i.e., acting countercyclically). In almost as many cases, government spending is actually going down (i.e., acting procyclically). Since the economy does not respond symmetrically to government spending increases or decreases, the"true"long-run multiplier for bad times (and government spending going up) turns out to be 2.3 compared to 1.3 if we just distinguish between recession and expansion. In the case of developing countries, the bias results from the fact that the multiplier for recessions and government spending going down (the"when-it-rains-it-pours"phenomenon) is larger than when government spending is going up.

Suggested Citation

  • Riera-Crichton, Daniel & Vegh, Carlos A. & Vuletin, Guillermo, 2014. "Fiscal multipliers in recessions and expansions : does it matter whether government spending is increasing or decreasing ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6993, The World Bank.
  • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6993
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Quelle politique budgétaire faut-il adopter lors d'une récession ?
      by ? in D'un champ l'autre on 2014-09-30 03:04:00

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    2. Carlos A. Vegh & Guillermo Vuletin, 2014. "Social Implications of Fiscal Policy Responses During Crises," NBER Working Papers 19828, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Roberta Santis & Piero Esposito & Elena Masi, 2019. "Structural determinants of potential output growth in Europe and the role of fiscal policy," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 565-591, October.
    4. El Mostafa Bentour, 2022. "The effects of public debt accumulation and business cycle on government spending multipliers," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 54(19), pages 2231-2256, April.
    5. Antonio Lemus, 2018. "Dynamic Effects of the Chilean Fiscal Policy," EconomiX Working Papers 2018-33, University of Paris Nanterre, EconomiX.
    6. Ardanaz, Martín & Cavallo, Eduardo & Izquierdo, Alejandro & Puig, Jorge, 2021. "Growth-friendly fiscal rules? Safeguarding public investment from budget cuts through fiscal rule design," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    7. Şen, Hüseyin & Kaya, Ayşe, 2015. "Growth enhancing effect of discretionary fiscal policy shocks: Keynesian, Weak Keynesian or Non-Keynesian?," MPRA Paper 65976, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 05 Aug 2015.
    8. Markku Lehmus, 2015. "Finnish fiscal multipliers with a structural VAR model," Working Papers 293, Työn ja talouden tutkimus LABORE, The Labour Institute for Economic Research LABORE.
    9. Eduardo de Sa Fortes Leitao Rodrigues, 2023. "Uncertainty and the effectiveness of fiscal policy in the United States and Brasil: SVAR Approach," Working Papers 2023.03, International Network for Economic Research - INFER.

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    Keywords

    Urban Economics; Economic Stabilization; Public Sector Fiscal Adjustment; Debt Markets; Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures;
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