Fiscal Adjustments in OECD Countries : Composition and Macroeconomic Effects /

This paper studies how the composition of fiscal adjustments influences their likelihood of 'success', defined as a long lasting deficit reduction, and their macroeconomic consequences. We find that fiscal adjustments which rely primarily on spending cuts on transfers and the government wa...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Alesina, Alberto
Other Authors: Perotti, Roberto
Format: Journal
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 1996.
Series:IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 1996/070
Online Access:Full text available on IMF
Description
Summary:This paper studies how the composition of fiscal adjustments influences their likelihood of 'success', defined as a long lasting deficit reduction, and their macroeconomic consequences. We find that fiscal adjustments which rely primarily on spending cuts on transfers and the government wage bill have a better chance of being successful and are expansionary. On the contrary fiscal adjustments which rely primarily on tax increases and cuts in public investment tend not to last and are contractionary. We discuss alterative explanations for these findings by studying both a full sample of OECD countries and by focusing on three case studies: Denmark, Ireland and Italy.
Item Description:<strong>Off-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required
<strong>On-Campus Access:</strong> No User ID or Password Required
Physical Description:1 online resource (52 pages)
Format:Mode of access: Internet
ISSN:1018-5941
Access:Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students