AbstractThe conduct of fiscal policy has been altered considerably in the context of the global financial crisis, that is, at times when financial markets conditions were extraordinary turbulent. Yet financial market conditions determine how fiscal impulses are transmitted through the economy and, eventually, the size of the fiscal multiplier. I develop a comprehensive perspective on how financial market conditions alter the effects of fiscal policy on economic activity within a New Keynesian framework. Drawing on historical as well as systematic considerations, I distinguish a scenario of 1) “normal times” characterized by smoothly operating financial markets, 2) financial markets characterized by tight credit conditions in the private sector and constraints on monetary policy and 3) financial markets, in addition, characterized by high sovereign risk. I argue that the size and even the sign of the multiplier may differ across these scenarios.
Regional Consumption Responses and the Aggregate Fiscal Multiplier
