{"title":"澳大利亚的财政空间:公共投资的作用","authors":"Begoña Domínguez, John Quiggin","doi":"10.1111/1467-8462.12481","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>How large is Australia's fiscal space? Blanchard (2019) shows that as long as the real interest rate <math>\n <semantics>\n <mrow>\n <mi>R</mi>\n </mrow>\n <annotation> $R$</annotation>\n </semantics></math> is below the real growth rate <math>\n \n <semantics>\n <mrow>\n <mi>G</mi>\n </mrow>\n <annotation> $G$</annotation>\n </semantics></math>, a government can sustain a positive primary deficit with a constant (or even declining) ratio of public debt to GDP. In this article, we explain the neutral real interest rate and the reasons for its decline. Then, we discuss the results of a companion paper, Domínguez and Quiggin (2022), in which we quantify the fiscal space for Australia and find that a permanent increase in the primary deficit can be afforded up to reaching a debt to GDP ratio of 79 per cent. Furthermore, this so-called ‘free lunch’ in the fiscal space can be expanded if debt is used to finance public investment.</p>","PeriodicalId":46348,"journal":{"name":"Australian Economic Review","volume":"55 3","pages":"383-388"},"PeriodicalIF":1.0000,"publicationDate":"2022-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8462.12481","citationCount":"0","resultStr":"{\"title\":\"Australia's Fiscal Space: The Role of Public Investment\",\"authors\":\"Begoña Domínguez, John Quiggin\",\"doi\":\"10.1111/1467-8462.12481\",\"DOIUrl\":null,\"url\":null,\"abstract\":\"<p>How large is Australia's fiscal space? Blanchard (2019) shows that as long as the real interest rate <math>\\n <semantics>\\n <mrow>\\n <mi>R</mi>\\n </mrow>\\n <annotation> $R$</annotation>\\n </semantics></math> is below the real growth rate <math>\\n \\n <semantics>\\n <mrow>\\n <mi>G</mi>\\n </mrow>\\n <annotation> $G$</annotation>\\n </semantics></math>, a government can sustain a positive primary deficit with a constant (or even declining) ratio of public debt to GDP. In this article, we explain the neutral real interest rate and the reasons for its decline. Then, we discuss the results of a companion paper, Domínguez and Quiggin (2022), in which we quantify the fiscal space for Australia and find that a permanent increase in the primary deficit can be afforded up to reaching a debt to GDP ratio of 79 per cent. Furthermore, this so-called ‘free lunch’ in the fiscal space can be expanded if debt is used to finance public investment.</p>\",\"PeriodicalId\":46348,\"journal\":{\"name\":\"Australian Economic Review\",\"volume\":\"55 3\",\"pages\":\"383-388\"},\"PeriodicalIF\":1.0000,\"publicationDate\":\"2022-07-22\",\"publicationTypes\":\"Journal Article\",\"fieldsOfStudy\":null,\"isOpenAccess\":false,\"openAccessPdf\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1467-8462.12481\",\"citationCount\":\"0\",\"resultStr\":null,\"platform\":\"Semanticscholar\",\"paperid\":null,\"PeriodicalName\":\"Australian Economic Review\",\"FirstCategoryId\":\"96\",\"ListUrlMain\":\"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8462.12481\",\"RegionNum\":4,\"RegionCategory\":\"经济学\",\"ArticlePicture\":[],\"TitleCN\":null,\"AbstractTextCN\":null,\"PMCID\":null,\"EPubDate\":\"\",\"PubModel\":\"\",\"JCR\":\"Q3\",\"JCRName\":\"ECONOMICS\",\"Score\":null,\"Total\":0}","platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Australian Economic Review","FirstCategoryId":"96","ListUrlMain":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8462.12481","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
Australia's Fiscal Space: The Role of Public Investment
How large is Australia's fiscal space? Blanchard (2019) shows that as long as the real interest rate is below the real growth rate , a government can sustain a positive primary deficit with a constant (or even declining) ratio of public debt to GDP. In this article, we explain the neutral real interest rate and the reasons for its decline. Then, we discuss the results of a companion paper, Domínguez and Quiggin (2022), in which we quantify the fiscal space for Australia and find that a permanent increase in the primary deficit can be afforded up to reaching a debt to GDP ratio of 79 per cent. Furthermore, this so-called ‘free lunch’ in the fiscal space can be expanded if debt is used to finance public investment.
期刊介绍:
An applied economics journal with a strong policy orientation, The Australian Economic Review publishes high-quality articles applying economic analysis to a wide range of macroeconomic and microeconomic topics relevant to both economic and social policy issues. Produced by the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, it is the leading journal of its kind in Australia and the Asia-Pacific region. While it is of special interest to Australian academics, students, policy makers, and others interested in the Australian economy, the journal also considers matters of international interest.