We provide benchmarks to evaluate what is an optimal foreign debt and a maximal foreign debt (debt-max), when risk is explicitly considered. When the actual debt exceeds debt-max, then the economy will default when a "bad shock" occurs. This paper is an application of the stochastic optimal...

The recent financial crises, especially the debt crisis in Asia, have led to questions such as: what are their causes, what is an excessive debt and how vulnerable is an economy to external shocks; We develop an economic model of international finance and debt based upon two sources of...