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This paper derives the optimal response of the primary budget balance to changes in the public debt as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in a stochastic model of debt. Under the optimal solution, the surplus reactivity to the debt‐GDP ratio is independent of the debt ratio itself, but its size depends on the degree of uncertainty surrounding the impact of fiscal policies. We characterize the properties of the optimal control policy by proposing different metrics that may be used to assess fiscal soundness and as early warning indicators of fiscal imbalances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to study how the tax burden arising from an exogenous stream of public expenditures and transfers should be distributed between labor and capital in a scale‐less endogenous growth model, where the engine of growth are successful innovations. Our laboratory is a prototypical quality ladder model with a labor/leisure choice where research and development productivity is decreasing in the size of the economy. Our contribution is to show that even when labor supply has no effects on growth in the long run, it will still be optimal to tax capital for reasonable parametrizations of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpolmod.2006.04.003 Byline: Barbara Annicchiarico Keywords: Price stability; Fiscal policy; Government debt; Stability and Growth Pact (SGP) Abstract: In the context of the current policy debate on the reform of European fiscal rules, there is wide consensus on the need to place more attention on debt-GDP ratios. Proposals have been made to alleviate fiscal pressure on Member States with relatively low public debts. The present paper gives support to this view. Economies with high public debt-GDP ratios are shown to experience larger price deviations after a fiscal expansion. These results are derived in a model, calibrated to euro area quarterly data, with capital accumulation, flexible prices and wealth effects in the presence of an independent monetary authority. Author Affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Rome 'Tor Vergata', Via Columbia 2, 00133 Roma, Italy Article History: Received 13 October 2005; Revised 8 March 2006; Accepted 22 April 2006 Article Note: (footnote) [star] A previous version has been published as ECB Working Paper no. 285. A detailed Technical Appendix is available from the author upon request.

This paper examines how innovation-led growth affects optimal monetary policy. We consider the Ramsey policy in a New Keynesian model where R&D leads to an expanding variety of intermediate goods and compare the results with those obtained when the expansion occurs exogenously. Positive trend inflation is found to be optimal under both assumptions, but much higher with profit-seeking innovation. Optimal monetary policy must be counter-cyclical in response to both technology and public spending shocks, yet the intensity of the reaction crucially depends on the presence of an R&D sector. However, the small amount of short-run deviations of prices from the non-zero trend inflation observed in response to shocks suggests inflation targeting as a robust policy recommendation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates currency crises in an optimizing general equilibrium model with overlapping generations. It is shown that a rise in government budget deficits financed by future taxes generates a decumulation of external assets, leading up to a speculative attack and forcing the monetary authorities to abandon the peg. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the relationship between growth and variability in a growth DSGE model with nominal rigidities and learning-by-doing. We show this relationship may be positive or negative depending on the source of fluctuations. A key role is played by labour market features. We find that monetary shocks volatility will generally have a negative effect on growth, while the opposite is true for fiscal and productivity shocks. These findings are consistent with empirical evidence, as data show an ambiguous relationship between output growth and its variance, but a negative relationship between output growth and nominal variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The adoption of a Taylor-type monetary policy rule and an inflation target for emerging market economies that choose a flexible exchange rate regime is often advocated. This paper investigates the issue of exchange rate determination when interest-rate feedback rules are implemented in a continuous-time optimizing model of a small open economy facing an imperfect global capital market. It is demonstrated that when a risk premium on external debt affects the monetary policy transmission mechanism, the Taylor principle is not a necessary condition for determinacy of equilibrium. On the other hand, it is shown that exchange rate dynamics critically depend on whether monetary policy is active or passive. In terms of optimal monetary policy, it is demonstrated that the degree of responsiveness of the nominal interest rate to inflation should be related to the stock of foreign debt. Specifically, it is optimal to implement a more passive monetary policy stance in response to larger levels of the outstanding foreign-currency-denominated debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the dynamic properties of the Taylor rule with the zero lower bound on the nominal interest rate in an optimizing monetary model with overlapping generations à la Yaari–Blanchard–Weil. The main result is that the presence of wealth effects is not sufficient to rule out the possibility of infinite equilibrium paths with decelerating inflation. In particular, in the presence of wealth effects, the occurrence of liquidity traps is not avoided when the central bank implements a Taylor-type interest-rate feedback rule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a Dynamic New Keynesian model with wealth effects to study the performance of monetary policy under Ricardian and non-Ricardian fiscal regimes. The model is calibrated to euro area quarterly data. The interactions between fiscal policy and interest rate rules have critical implications for equilibrium uniqueness. Within the class of Ricardian fiscal rules, active monetary policies are not necessary for equilibrium determinacy. However, monetary authorities overreacting to inflation not only improve macroeconomic performance, but also generate similar outcomes under different fiscal rules. Conversely, under non-Ricardian fiscal regimes, interest rate pegs are predicted to reduce inflation variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the issue of price level determinacy in an optimizing general equilibrium model with overlapping generations. It is shown that under a pure interest rate peg wealth effects rule out nominal indeterminacy but give rise to multiple equilibria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the issue of price stability in a continuous time optimizing general equilibrium model with overlapping generations. It is shown that fiscal policy has effects on nominal variables. Fiscal expansions are inflationary even when the government intertemporal budget constraint is respected for any prices sequence and there is no recourse to money financing. Our results shed new light on the interaction between fiscal policy and nominal prices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]