Automatic Stabilizers and the Size of Government

Automatic Stabilizers and the Size of Government PDF Author: Mr.Carlo Cottarelli
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1455201383
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
The size of government is a commonly used variable in many analytical studies on the effects of fiscal policy. An accepted practice is to measure it as the ratio of government spending to GDP. However, this is not the correct metric when computing the stabilization effects of nondiscretionary fiscal policy. Intuitively, public spending does not react to cyclical conditions as much as taxes do - as reflected in the standard zero-one elasticity assumptions for spending and revenue, respectively. This paper shows that the revenue to GDP ratio is the appropriate indicator of government size for the purpose of assessing the stabilization effects of nondiscretionary fiscal policy.

Automatic Stabilizers and the Size of Government

Automatic Stabilizers and the Size of Government PDF Author: Mr.Carlo Cottarelli
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1455201383
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 16

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Book Description
The size of government is a commonly used variable in many analytical studies on the effects of fiscal policy. An accepted practice is to measure it as the ratio of government spending to GDP. However, this is not the correct metric when computing the stabilization effects of nondiscretionary fiscal policy. Intuitively, public spending does not react to cyclical conditions as much as taxes do - as reflected in the standard zero-one elasticity assumptions for spending and revenue, respectively. This paper shows that the revenue to GDP ratio is the appropriate indicator of government size for the purpose of assessing the stabilization effects of nondiscretionary fiscal policy.

Government Size and Automatic Stabilizers

Government Size and Automatic Stabilizers PDF Author: Antonio Fatás
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Business cycles
Languages : en
Pages : 44

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Book Description


The Size and Effectiveness of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in Latin America

The Size and Effectiveness of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in Latin America PDF Author: Rodrigo Suescun
Publisher: World Bank Publications
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
This paper measures the size of automatic fiscal revenue stabilizers and evaluates their role in Latin America. It introduces a relatively rich tax structure into a dynamic, stochastic, multi-sector small open economy inhabited by rule-of-thumb consumers (who consume their wages and do not save or borrow) and Ricardian households to study the stabilizing properties of different parameters of the tax code. The economy faces multiple sources of business cycle fluctuations: (1) world capital market shocks; (2) world business cycle shocks; (3) terms of trade shocks; (4) government spending shocks; and (5) nontradable and (6) tradable sector technology innovations. Calibrating the model economy to a typical Latin American economy allows the evaluation of its ability to mimic the region's observed business cycle frequency properties and the assessment of the quantitative relationship between tax code parameters, business cycle forcing variables, and business cycle behavior. The model captures many of the salient features of Latin America's business cycle facts and finds that the degree of smoothing provided by the automatic revenue stabilizers-described by various properties of the tax system-is negligible. Simulation results seem to suggest an invariance property for middle-income countries: the amplitude of the business cycle is independent of the tax structure. And government size-measured by the GDP ratio of government spending-plays the role of an automatic stabilizer, but its smoothing effect is very weak.

Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers

Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers PDF Author: Thomas Baunsgaard
Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
ISBN: 9781455290567
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 26

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Book Description
This paper discusses how to enhance automatic stabilizers without increasing the size of government. We distinguish between permanent changes in the parameters of the tax and expenditure system (e.g., changes in tax progressivity) that will enhance the traditional automatic stabilizer, and temporary changes triggered by certain economic developments (e.g., tax measures targeted at credit and liquidity constrained households, triggered during a severe downturn). We argue that, with some exceptions, the latter are preferable as they can be implemented with lower disruptions in other fiscal policy goals (e.g., economic efficiency). Moreover, countries should also avoid introducing procyclicality as a result of fiscal rules, as these would offset the effect of existing automatic stabilizers.

Size and Effectiveness of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in Latin America

Size and Effectiveness of Automatic Fiscal Stabilizers in Latin America PDF Author: Rodrigo Suescun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 54

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Book Description
This paper measures the size of automatic fiscal revenue stabilizers and evaluates their role in Latin America. It introduces a relatively rich tax structure into a dynamic, stochastic, multi-sector small open economy inhabited by rule-of-thumb consumers (who consume their wages and do not save or borrow) and Ricardian households to study the stabilizing properties of different parameters of the tax code. The economy faces multiple sources of business cycle fluctuations: (1) world capital market shocks; (2) world business cycle shocks; (3) terms of trade shocks; (4) government spending shocks; and (5) nontradable and (6) tradable sector technology innovations. Calibrating the model economy to a typical Latin American economy allows the evaluation of its ability to mimic the region's observed business cycle frequency properties and the assessment of the quantitative relationship between tax code parameters, business cycle forcing variables, and business cycle behavior. The model captures many of the salient features of Latin America's business cycle facts and finds that the degree of smoothing provided by the automatic revenue stabilizers - described by various properties of the tax system - is negligible. Simulation results seem to suggest an invariance property for middle-income countries: the amplitude of the business cycle is independent of the tax structure. And government size - measured by the GDP ratio of government spending - plays the role of an automatic stabilizer, but its smoothing effect is very weak.

Government Size and Output Volatility: Should We Forsake Automatic Stabilization?

Government Size and Output Volatility: Should We Forsake Automatic Stabilization? PDF Author: Xavier Debrun
Publisher: INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND
ISBN: 9781451869828
Category : Economic development
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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Book Description
The paper takes stock of the debate on the positive link between output volatility and the size of government-which reflects automatic stabilizers. After a survey of the literature, we show that the contribution of automatic stabilizers to output stability may have disappeared since the 1990s. However, econometric analysis suggests that the breakdown in the government size-volatility relationship largely reflects temporary developments (better monetary management and financial intermediation). Once these factors are taken into account, the stabilizing role of government size remains important although little extra stability can be gained by expanding public expenditure beyond 40 percent of GDP.

The Fiscal Smile

The Fiscal Smile PDF Author: Maria Antoinette Silgoner
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1451859287
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 30

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Book Description
We study the smoothing impact of fiscal stabilizers (proxied by government expenditures or revenues) on business cycle volatility for a panel of EU countries in the period 1970-99. The results show that the business cycle volatility smoothing effect of fiscal stabilizers may revert at high levels. We present evidence that for government expenditure ratios exceeding an estimated value of about 38 percent, a further expansion in the size of the government could actually lead to an increase in cyclical volatility. This may call for a reconsideration of the use of fiscal stabilizers for business cycle smoothing.

Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Stability

Fiscal Policy and Macroeconomic Stability PDF Author: Mr.Xavier Debrun
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN: 1455200700
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 48

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Book Description
The paper revisits the link between fiscal policy and macroeconomic stability. Two salient features of our analysis are (1) a systematic test for the government’s ambivalent role as a shock absorber and a shock inducer—removing a downward bias present in existing estimates of the impact of automatic stabilizers—and (2) a broad sample of advanced and emerging market economies. Results provide strong support for the view that fiscal stabilization operates mainly through automatic stabilizers. Also, the destabilizing impact of policy changes not systematically related to the business cycle may not be as robust as suggested in the literature.

Government Size and Output Volatility

Government Size and Output Volatility PDF Author: Xavier Debrun
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 53

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Book Description


The Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy in Stimulating Economic Activity

The Effectiveness of Fiscal Policy in Stimulating Economic Activity PDF Author: Richard Hemming
Publisher: International Monetary Fund
ISBN:
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 62

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Book Description
This paper reviews the theoretical and empirical literature on the effectiveness of fiscal policy. The focus is on the size of fiscal multipliers, and on the possibility that multipliers can turn negative (i.e., that fiscal contractions can be expansionary). The paper concludes that fiscal multipliers are overwhelmingly positive but small. However, there is some evidence of negative fiscal multipliers.