In this paper, we study the aggregate and distributional implications of a smaller public sector in the euro area. By a smaller public sector, we mean a reduction in public debt and/or cuts in public spending, when such changes in fiscal policy are accommodated by adjustment in various taxes....

In the late 1990s, after a phase of fiscal consolidation, several European countries introduced tax cuts with a view to reducing distortions and supporting growth. The reforms were prompted by concern about the effects of high tax levels on competitiveness and employment. The paper explores the...

With the advent of the economic and monetary union in the European Union (EU), the economic landscape of the EU will bear a striking resemblance to that of the United States in terms of fundamental attributes such as the freedom of internal movements of individuals, capital, and goods within the...

This paper examines the interest spending and taxation channels through which EMU could affect the public finances. It provides a framework for examining different views on a further narrowing of interest rate differentials. A model of Blanchard and Fischer is amended to analyze the two...

We introduce a non-linear model to study the adjustment of fiscal policy variables in Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain over the last 50 years, based on endogenously estimated budget deficit-to-GDP thresholds, which vary with fiscal disequilibria, the economic cycle and financial market...

We assess the effects on trade balance of a temporary fiscal devaluation enacted by Spain or Portugal by simulating EAGLE, a large-scale multi-country dynamic general equilibrium model of the euro area. Social contributions paid by firms are reduced by 1 percent of GDP for four years and are...

The European Union has not defined its limits in geographical terms. Each enlargement has led and will lead to a decrease of the European Union's per capita GDP. After the collapse of the Soviet Union the transition countries went through a long and deep recession. However, they have reached a...

I study the spill-over effects of legislated discretionary tax changes in the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom to 11 Eurozone countries for the period 1980Q1-2018Q4 employing Local Projections (Jordà, 2005). In general, I find spillovers from US tax legislation to have the...

We study debt mutualisation in the Euro area. Bearing in mind other existing proposals we provide an alternative Blue, Yellow and Red Bonds proposal: blue, would cover debt up to 60% of GDP, yellow would include debt from 60% up to 90% of GDP, and red would cover debt above 90% of GDP. Although...

In September 1992 French voters approved the Maastrict Treaty. This paper analyzes political and economic forces that affected French voters, and the links between the progress of European integration and changes in the pattern of redistribution. A model of referendum choice is tested against a...