Rising Government Debt: Causes and Solutions for a Decades-Old Trend

45 Pages Posted: 17 Sep 2018 Last revised: 3 Apr 2022

See all articles by Pierre Yared

Pierre Yared

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Finance

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Date Written: August 2018

Abstract

Over the past four decades, government debt as a fraction of GDP has been on an upward trajectory in advanced economies, approaching levels not reached since World War II. While normative macroeconomic theories can explain the increase in the level of debt in certain periods as a response to macroeconomic shocks, they cannot explain the broad-based long-run trend in debt accumulation. In contrast, political economy theories can explain the long-run trend as resulting from an aging population, rising political polarization, and rising electoral uncertainty across advanced economies. These theories emphasize the time-inconsistency in government policymaking, and thus the need for fiscal rules that restrict policymakers. Fiscal rules trade off commitment to not overspend and flexibility to react to shocks. This tradeoff guides design features of optimal rules, such as information dependence, enforcement, cross-country coordination, escape clauses, and instrument vs. target criteria.

Suggested Citation

Yared, Pierre, Rising Government Debt: Causes and Solutions for a Decades-Old Trend (August 2018). NBER Working Paper No. w24979, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3244293

Pierre Yared (Contact Author)

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Finance ( email )

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