r minus g negative : Can We Sleep More Soundly? /

Contrary to the traditional assumption of interest rates on government debt exceeding economic growth, negative interest-growth differentials have become prevalent since the global financial crisis. As these differentials are a key determinant of public debt dynamics, can we sleep more soundly, desp...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Mauro, Paolo
Autres auteurs: Zhou, Jing
Format: Revue
Langue:English
Publié: Washington, D.C. : International Monetary Fund, 2020.
Collection:IMF Working Papers; Working Paper ; No. 2020/052
Accès en ligne:Full text available on IMF
Description
Résumé:Contrary to the traditional assumption of interest rates on government debt exceeding economic growth, negative interest-growth differentials have become prevalent since the global financial crisis. As these differentials are a key determinant of public debt dynamics, can we sleep more soundly, despite high government debts? Our paper undertakes an empirical analysis of interestgrowth differentials, using the largest historical database on average effective government borrowing costs for 55 countries over up to 200 years. We document that negative differentials have occurred more often than not, in both advanced and emerging economies, and have often persisted for long historical stretches. Moreover, differentials are no higher prior to sovereign defaults than in normal times. Marginal (rather than average) government borrowing costs often rise abruptly and sharply, but just prior to default. Based on these results, our answer is: not really.
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Description matérielle:1 online resource (32 pages)
Format:Mode of access: Internet
ISSN:1018-5941
Accès:Electronic access restricted to authorized BRAC University faculty, staff and students