We provide a comprehensive account of the dynamics of eurozone countries from 2000 to 2012. We analyze private leverage, fiscal policy, labor costs and interest rates and we propose a strategy to separate the impact of credit cycles, excessive government spending, and sudden stops. We then ask...

Objective – The unwarranted household debt initiated the global financial crisis which led to severe worldwide financial instability. Deleveraging process which has been taking place since the crisis has been slow and there is no quick fix to the debt issue. The lack of study on the effect of...

Rising debt can threaten macroeconomic, financial, and fiscal stability, and thus fuels uncertainty among economic agents. Therefore, high levels of indebtedness may hinder economic growth especially for those economies with a large debt burden and may also amplify the volatility of GDP growth...