Costly Increases in Public Debt when r < g

Author/Editor:

Yongquan Cao ; Vitor Gaspar ; Adrian Peralta Alva

Publication Date:

January 12, 2024

Electronic Access:

Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary:

This paper quantifies the costs of a permanent increase in debt to GDP. We employ a deterministic, overlapping generations model with two assets and no risk of default. The two assets are public debt and private (productive) capital. We assume that the return on private capital equals the interest rate on public debt plus an exogenously given spread. Employing a analytical version of the model we show an example in which a permanent rise in the public debt ratio leads to a significant reduction in steady-state GDP even as r

Series:

Working Paper No. 2024/010

Subject:

Frequency:

regular

English

Publication Date:

January 12, 2024

ISBN/ISSN:

9798400263620/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA2024010

Format:

Paper

Pages:

29

Please address any questions about this title to publications@imf.org