Using panel data of 17 OECD countries for 1980-2011, we find that the distributional consequences of fiscal consolidations depend significantly on the level of private indebtedness. Austerity leads to a strong and persistent increase in income inequality during periods of private debt overhang....

Based on a large historical panel dataset, this paper provides robust evidence that the government spending multiplier is significantly higher when interest rates are at, or near, the zero lower bound. We estimate fiscal multipliers that are around 1.5 during zero lower bound episodes and...

We show that the distributional consequences of fiscal consolidations depend significantly on the level of private indebtedness. Austerity leads to a strong and persistent increase in income inequality when private debt is high. In contrast, there are no discernible distributional effects when...

Using panel data of 17 OECD countries for 1980-2011, we find that the distributional consequences of fiscal consolidations depend significantly on the level of private indebtedness. Austerity leads to a strong and persistent increase in income inequality during periods of private debt overhang....

This thesis presents four essays that study the determinants of private household debt and the relation between private indebtedness and macroeconomic activity. Chapter 1 shows that inequality and household debt are cointegrated of order one and therefore share a common trending relation. In...

Using panel data of 17 OECD countries for 1980-2011, we find that the distributional consequences of fiscal consolidations depend significantly on the level of private indebtedness. Austerity leads to a strong and persistent increase in income inequality during periods of private debt overhang....