The global surge in independent fiscal councils (IFCs) raises three related questions: How can IFCs improve the conduct of fiscal policy? Are they simultaneously desirable for voters and elected policymakers? And are they resilient to changes in political conditions? We build a model in which...

We develop a multicountry model in which governments aim at excessive spending in order to serve the narrow interests of the group in power. This puts pressure on the monetary authorities to extract seigniorage, and thus affects the incentives countries would have to participate in a monetary...

We study the desirability of reforming fiscal institutions along with the delegation of monetary policy to an independent central bank. The model provides a rationale for discipline-enhancing fiscal institutions and highlights some of their desirable features. Three main results emerge. First,...

The paper analyzes some key policy trade-offs involved in the implementation of the Stability and Growth Pact. Greater procedural flexibility in the Pact`s implementation may improve welfare. Procedural flexibility designates the enforcer`s room to apply judgment on underlying policies and to...

The paper proposes a theoretical analysis illustrating some key policy trade-offs involved in the implementation of a rules-based fiscal framework reminiscent of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The analysis offers some insights on the current debate about the SGP. Specifically, greater...

We develop a model in which governments' financing needs exceed the socially optimal level because public resources are diverted to serve the narrow interests of the group in power. From a social welfare perspective, this results in undue pressure on the central bank to extract seigniorage....

We develop a model in which governments' financing needs exceed the socially optimal level because public resources are diverted to serve the narrow interests of the group in power. From a social welfare perspective, this results in undue pressure on the central bank to extract seigniorage....

This paper draws on recent events in the euro area to discuss the serious gaps in the fiscal architecture of the European Economic and Monetary Union. These gaps stem from the lack of a fiscal federation and the incapacity of EU institutions to effectively enforce the set of rules supposed to...

The paper proposes a theoretical analysis illustrating some key policy trade-offs involved in the implementation of a rules-based fiscal framework reminiscent of the Stability and Growth Pact (SGP). The analysis offers some insights on the current debate about the SGP. Specifically, greater...

It is widely argued that Europe's unified monetary policy calls for the international coordination at the fiscal level. We survey the issues involved with such coordination of fiscal policy as a demand management tool and we use a simple model to investigate the circumstances under which...