In the last twenty years Portugal struggled to keep public finances under control, notably in containing primary spending. We use a new quarterly dataset covering 1979:1-2007:4, and estimate a Bayesian Structural Autoregression model to analyze the macroeconomic effects of fiscal policy. The...

The purpose of this study is to contribute further on the twin deficits debate in a developing economy. The data for Malaysia over four decades is used as a case study. Empirical result obtained from the Johansen-Juselius (1990) cointegration test indicates that budget deficit and current...

This paper empirically analyzes the impact of budget deficit on the economic development of Romania. Using the OLS estimates for quarterly series for the period from 2001 to 2011, the results of the estimates prove that there is an indirect relationship between budget deficit and economic growth...

The financial crisis and ensuing economic meltdown has led to sharp increases in the deficits and debt levels of many advanced economies. The run-up in public sector indebtedness helped to restore private sector balance sheets, laying the foundation for economic recovery in these regions. But...

Fiscal policy was key determinant of macroeconomic behavior during the 80s, however it is necessary to distinguish the effects of shocks over fiscal policy from those resulting of policy decisions. For that purpose the study uses, with an adjustment, the methodology developed by Marshall and...

This paper discusses the theoretical aspects of fiscal sustainability and identities the main sources of fiscal non-sustainability from the perspective of both general equilibrium models and partial equilibrium models. The study adopts the partial equilibrium approach to investigate empirically...

This study analyses the time-varying determinants of sovereign bond yield spreads between Q1/1999 and Q1/2010. Before the financial crisis, which started end of 2007, financial markets seemed to have had limited assessment of credit risks in sovereign bond markets and risk aversion did not play...

In this paper we investigate the roots, nature and consequences of the exit strategies that have already been implemented or are likely to be implemented in the EMU countries after the financial and economic crisis. We show that there is a deflationary bias in the current institutional...

This paper documents the systematic response of postwar U.S. fiscal policy to fiscal imbalances and the business cycle using a multivariate Fiscal Taylor Rule. Adjustments to taxes and purchases both account for a large portion of the fiscal response to debt, while authorities seem reluctant to...

We estimate the political economy determinants of budget deficit forecast errors. Since the adoption of the Stability Pact, Eurozone governments have manipulated forecasts before elections. The political orientation and the institutional design of governments also affects the quality of forecasts.