This paper looks at the relationship between government budget deficits and the growth rate of GDP. While orthodox economic theory offers several reasons to believe that growing deficits might be associated with slower growth, and would ultimately be unsustainable, Keynesians assert that...

Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-2009, there has been flourishing literature on the role of fiscal policy in stimulating demand when the economy is in a deep recession. Past studies suggest the stimulus may make sense if it is temporary, targeted, and withdrawn quickly. However, since...

The public-debt-to-GDP ratio in South Africa increased from 26 per cent in the 2008/09 fiscal year to 73.9 per cent in 2023/24, raising fears that fiscal policy is not sustainable. This raises the question: did the government take steps to arrest the increase in the debt-to-GDP ratio and regain...