We study discretionary non-cooperative monetary and fiscal policy stabilization in the New Keynesian model, where the fiscal authority uses distortionary taxes as policy instrument. We explicitly model different frequencies of fiscal and monetary policy operations. We find that standard models of monetary and fiscal policy interactions may substantially overestimate the social gain from the sta...

This paper examines the design of macroeconomic policies after the enlargement of the EU by Central and Eastern European countries (CEECs). We consider scenarios with and without CEECs being members of the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). For the European Central Bank, we analyze consequences of monetary versus inflation targeting. For European fiscal policies, we assume that the gov...

Recent macro developments in the euro area have highlighted the interactions between fiscal policy, sovereign debt, and financial fragility. We take a structural macroeconomic model with frictions in the financial intermediation process, in line with recent research, but introduce asset choice and sovereign debt holdings in the portfolio of banks. Using this model, we emphasize a new crowding-o...

This paper examines how the scale and composition of public debt can affect economies that implement a combination of “passive” monetary policy and “active” fiscal policy. This policy configuration is argued to be of both historical and contemporary interest in the cases of the U.S. and Japanese economies. It is shown that higher average levels and moderate average maturities of debt can induce...

The term fiscal sustainability has many definitions, though it almost always refers to the fiscal policies of a government or the public sector. One concept of sustainability relates to solvency, the ability of the government to service its debt obligations in perpetuity without explicit default. Rarely does fiscal sustainability analysis reach the conclusion that a government is insolvent unle...

This paper focuses on internal and external factors, which influence the inflation rate in developing countries. A monetary model of inflation rate, capable of incorporating both monetary and fiscal policies as well as other internal and external factors, was developed and tested on Iranian data. It was found that, over the long run, a higher exchange rate leads to a higher price and that the f...

It has long been recognized that average wages vary strikingly across regions and urban areas, in part due to differences in local amenities and fiscal policies. However, analogous differences in wage dispersion remain relatively unexplored. We develop a model suggesting that, after accounting for individual characteristics, wage dispersion across income groups should reflect differences in the...

In structuring this conference, the organizers have made the sensible decision to devote separate sessions to the problems of developing and developed countries. When attempting to confront unsustainable fiscal policies, developed economies are relieved of many of the economic constraints with which developing countries must deal. With greater wealth, more stable and credible governments, and m...

We examine global economic dynamics under learning in a New Keynesian model in which the interest-rate rule is subject to the zero lower bound. Under normal monetary and fiscal policy, the intended steady state is locally but not globally stable. Large pessimistic shocks to expectations can lead to deflationary spirals with falling prices and falling output. To avoid this outcome we recommend a...

We investigate whether fiscal rules help to reduce the extent of policy procyclicalitydhow government expenditure policy responds to GDP– in a dynamic panel framework with 81 advanced, emerging and developing countries over 1985e2012. We construct two new fiscal rule indices and investigate whether rules help to dampen procyclical policies. We condition our empirical specifications on the degre...