Public Sector Balance Sheet Strength and the Macro Economy

Seyed Reza Yousefi

No 2019/170, IMF Working Papers from International Monetary Fund

Abstract: This paper introduces concepts of public sector balance sheet (PSBS) strength, taking into account different aspects of what governments own in addition to what they owe. It develops measures of PSBS strength and investigates their macroeconomic implications. Empirical estimations show that in their pricing of sovereign bonds, financial markets account for government assets and net worth in addition to their liabilities. Furthermore, economies with stronger public sector balance sheets experience shallower recessions and recover faster in the aftermath of economic downturns. This faster return to growth can be explained by the greater space for countercyclical fiscal policy in countries with stronger balance sheets.

Keywords: WP; balance sheet; debt; balance sheet strength; Public sector balance sheet; Fiscal policy; Net financial worth; Net worth; balance sheet indicator; balance sheet measure; government balance sheets; balance sheet strength measure; balance sheet variable; balance sheet data; Financial statements; Bond yields; Yield curve; Sovereign bonds (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27
Date: 2019-08-06
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