Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/314044 
Year of Publication: 
2018
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of Applied Economics [ISSN:] 1667-6726 [Volume:] 21 [Issue:] 1 [Year:] 2018 [Pages:] 137-159
Publisher: 
Taylor & Francis, Abingdon
Abstract: 
The sizeable fiscal consolidation required to stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratios in several countries in the aftermath of the global crisis raises a crucial question on its feasibility. To answer this question, we propose a methodology to identify historical fiscal adjustment episodes for countries that both needed and wanted to adjust in order to stabilize debt to GDP. We identify 91 adjustment episodes in 49 countries during 1945-2014. We find that countries typically improved their cyclically adjusted primary balances by close to 5 percent of GDP. We also observe that countries make substantial efforts to stabilize debt, but ease their primary balances once this objective is achieved, without getting back to their initial lower debt-to-GDP ratio. Consolidations were larger when sustained over time and the initial deficit was high. Fiscal adjustments were also larger when accompanied by monetary easing and, to a lesser extent, by an improvement in credit conditions.
Subjects: 
debt
Deficit
fiscal consolidation
fiscal sustainability
primary balance
size of adjustment
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.