Using a novel empirical approach and an extensive dataset developed by the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF, we find no evidence of any particular debt threshold above which medium-term growth prospects are dramatically compromised. Furthermore, we find the debt trajectory can be as...

We study the macroeconomic implications of the debt overhang distortion. In our model, the distortion arises because investment is noncontractible—when a firm borrows funds, the debt contract cannot specify or depend on the firm’s future level of investment. After the debt contract is...

We study the macroeconomic implications of the debt overhang distortion. In our model, the distortion arises because investment is noncontractible - when a firm borrows funds, the debt contract cannot specify or depend on the firm's future level of investment. After the debt contract is signed,...

Using a novel empirical approach and an extensive dataset developed by the Fiscal Affairs Department of the IMF, we find no evidence of any particular debt threshold above which medium-term growth prospects are dramatically compromised. Furthermore, we find the debt trajectory can be as...