Public Debt through the Ages

2019 ◽  
pp. 7-55
Author(s):  
Barry Eichengreen ◽  
Asmaa El-Ganainy ◽  
Rui Pedro Esteves ◽  
Kris James Mitchener

We consider public debt from a long-term historical perspective, showing how the purposes for which governments borrow have evolved. Periods when debt-to-GDP ratios rose explosively as a result of wars, depressions, and financial crises also have a long history. Many of these episodes resulted in debt-management problems resolved through debasements and restructurings. Less widely appreciated are successful debt consolidation episodes, instances in which governments inheriting heavy debts ran primary surpluses for long periods in order to reduce those burdens to sustainable levels. We analyze the economic and political circumstances that made these successful debt consolidation episodes possible.

Author(s):  
Staņislavs Keišs ◽  
Alla Seregina

The article investigates the structure and dynamics of public debt of Latvia for the period from 2006–2016 year. The relevance of the study long-term effects of public debt on the economy of Latvia is predetermined by a significant increase in its volume of low GDP growth rates in recent years. This article discusses conceptual approaches and criteria for evaluation of the public debt. An analysis of the main reasons for the growth of public debt of Latvia after joining the EU, considers its specific characteristics and consequences as compared with the more developed EU countries on the basis of these annual reports of Latvia Treasury over the past ten years. Analysis of the structure of the debt of Latvia on maturity shows that an effective public debt management necessarily involves consideration of the long-term effects of the growth of public debt to the public. High level of the external indebtedness in the structure of Latvian public debt is a factor of the growth of “debt overhang” even following Maastricht criterions of public debt. As a result of the research is justification of differentiated approach necessity to the evaluation of public debt with considering of intertemporal effects.


Author(s):  
Youssef Cassis

This chapter surveys the development of the world’s leading financial centres since the early nineteenth century, with particular attention to their working mechanisms, international influence, competition and cooperation, and rise and decline. In addition to the conditions for the development of international financial centres identified by contemporary economic and financial literature (such as political stability, strong currency, light tax burden, skilled workforce, efficient communications, and so on), the chapter emphasizes, from a long-term historical perspective, other factors of success and failure, in particular the economic power of the country hosting an international financial centre; the effects of major wars which, even more than financial crises, have affected the destiny of financial centres; and path dependency: once established, most financial centres have experienced remarkable longevity. From this perspective, it is not surprising that the financial debacle of 2008 has not fundamentally altered the hierarchy of international financial centres.


Author(s):  
Nataliia Husarevych

Relevance of the research topic. In the context of transformation changes, it is important to identify the priority areas of debt policy as an instrument of socio-economic development of the country, the introduction of effective instruments for managing public debt in the institutional environment. Quite important is the study on the efficiency of debt policy. Formulation of the problem. In modern conditions, during the period of financial globalization, public debt is an integral part of the financial systems of most countries of the world. Particularly important are the priorities of debt policy for countries with a transformational economy, because they need to allocate a significant amount of financial resources to carry out and achieve effective results of reforms. It is important to develop and implement a coherent debt strategy, as well as to correct it for solving current problems. Analysis of recent research and publications. The issue of debt policy of the state is quite relevant today for the majority of countries of the world and are common in scientific works of the well-known foreign and domestic scientists. The following foreign scientists have made a significant contribution to the study of public debt and debt policy: R. Barro, D. Buchanan, A. Wagner, J. Keynes, D. Ricardo, P. Samuelson, J. Stiglitz, W. Thompson, F. Friedman and others. The theoretical and practical questions concerning the formation, management and maintenance of public debt under conditions of transformational changes in the economy are devoted to the work of such Ukrainian scientists as O. Vasylyk, I. Zapatrina, L. Lisyak, I. Lukianenko, A. Mazaraki, M. Pasichnyi, V. Fedosov, I. Chugunov and others. Selection of unexplored parts of the general problem. However, there are a number of underdeveloped issues related to the formation and repayment of public debt in the context of the transformation of the economy in both the medium and long-term periods. Setting the task, the purpose of the study. The research objective is to analyze the state debt of Ukraine as a result of the implementation of debt policy. The purpose of the study is to determine the main tasks of the debt policy of Ukraine. Method or methodology for conducting research. The combination of research methods were used in writing the article: systematic approach, statistical analysis, structuring, analysis and synthesis, and others. Presentation of the main material (results of work). Indicators of state and state-guaranteed debt in terms of repayment currencies, the structure of domestic government loans that were raised to the budget by placing bonds on the primary market were analyzed in the article. The priority tasks of the debt policy in the medium and long-term perspective were proposed. The field of application of results. The results of this study can be applied in the process of formation and implementation of Ukraine's debt policy. Conclusions according to the article. At the present stage of economic development it is important to increase the impact of the use of debt management methods based on the formation of the debt policy priorities for the medium and long term persrective. In carrying out an effective debt policy, the government should reduce the spread of crisis phenomena and debt risks, as well as reduce the total debt burden on the economy. The article defines the priority tasks of Ukraine's debt policy in the medium term.


Author(s):  
J. P. Doody

SynopsisSand dunes occur extensively around the coastline of Great Britain and in a wide variety of forms. Management for nature conservation is influenced by a long-term historical perspective which has led to a continued policy of protection. It has aimed firstly to prevent damaging developments such as building and orestry, and secondly to control excessive erosion brought about predominantly by man's own activities. However, an assessment of current nature conservation management problems suggests that at many sites in Great Britain over-stabilisation may be as much a problem as erosion. The implications for management in the face of other competing demands is discussed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Erdem Aksoy ◽  
Gulfem Dilek

The paper investigates a semantic confusion about rescheduling and restructuring of a public debt. There issues are not related to the default. The rescheduling refers to the swap of debt towards long term and restructuring as a change in the denomination of the debt. The paper conducts empirical evidence for the swaps involved using the econometrics exercise. The findings of the paper are that a swap of short term replacing long term debt is continuously implemented by the central bank of Turkey. Lengthening the maturity of the debt seems to be covert policy of debt management. The paper reported that another covert policy is that bank often swap local debt for dollar or euro debt or change the currency issuance or restructure it. Even though, the bank is involved in these covert policies, the central bank is publishing this data and making no efforts for hiding such information. Thus, we assume that the rating agencies are aware about these debt transactions due to the fact that these transactions are conducted in market prices. The covert policies are good enough as they seems to be working and should be regarded as such without regard to their interest cost.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. p54
Author(s):  
Henri-Paul Rousseau

The purpose of this paper is to present a schematic of the interactions between the government as the REGULATOR of financial institutions and the government as the INSURER of financial institutions while considering the long-term feedback relationships between the size and the scope of the financial sector and the level of public debt resulting from financial crises over time. The analysis concludes that at certain high level of public debt and size of the expected support of the financial sector by the government, the regulator and/or the central bank may have to “stabilize” the situation, but there may be cases where the support becomes socially “unacceptable”.


2013 ◽  
Vol 224 ◽  
pp. R14-R28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Crafts

OECD projections for European countries imply that the crisis will have no long-term effect on trend growth. An historical perspective says this is too optimistic. Not only is the legacy of public debt and its requirement for fiscal consolidation unfavourable but the experience of the 1930s suggests that much needed supply-side reforms are now less probable – indeed policy may well become less growth friendly. Whereas the 1940s saw the Bretton Woods agreement and the Marshall Plan pave the way for the ‘Golden Age’, it is unlikely that anything similar will rescue Europe this time around.


2010 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gernot Sieg ◽  
Ulrike Stegemann

SummaryOpportunistic politicians use the composition of public debt as a signal for competence. A competent government will not issue long-term nominal debt, as optimal to balance the budget, but long-term inflation-indexed debt. We consider politicians that pursue the objective of a balanced budget subject to the Stability and Growth Pact and reelection. A government’s competence is reflected by its ability to produce a public service at a lower cost (taxes). Competence is private information of politicians.


2013 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 511-537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donatella Strangio

The Roman market was a paragon of effective public-debt management. The reason for this success was the confidence that the Camera Apostolica (Apostolic Camera)—the main government body—was able to inspire throughout the centuries, thanks to the low risk and the relatively high returns that it could guarantee in comparison with other lenders and instruments (though few significant investment alternatives were available in the area). A long-term analysis of the organization and administration of the Roman public debt, as well as the people involved in it, reveals that the central government of the Papal States established a stable financial system earlier than traditionally supposed and that, unlike that of other European states, it often used the capital raised from bond issues for charitable and productive purposes.


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