The Janus-Faced Nature of Debt: Results from a Data-Driven Cointegrated SVAR Approach

Mattia Guerini, Alessio Moneta, Mauro Napoletano and Andrea Roventini

LEM Papers Series from Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy

Abstract: In this paper, we investigate the causal effects of public and private debts on U.S. output dynamics. We estimate a battery of Cointegrated Structural Vector Autoregressive models, and we identify structural shocks by employing Independent Component Analysis, a data-driven technique which avoids ad-hoc identification choices. The econometric results suggest that the impact of debt on economic activity is Janus-faced. Public debt shocks have positive and persistent influence on economic activity. In contrast, rising private debt has a milder positive impact on GDP, but it fades out over time. The analysis of the possible transmission mechanisms reveals that public debt crowds-in private consumption and investment. In contrast, mortgage debt fuels consumption and output in the short-run, but shrinks them in the medium-run.

Keywords: Public and Private Debt; Business Cycle Fluctuations; Independent Component Analysis; SVAR Identification (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (9)

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Related works:
Journal Article: THE JANUS-FACED NATURE OF DEBT: RESULTS FROM A DATA-DRIVEN COINTEGRATED SVAR APPROACH (2020)
Working Paper: The janus-faced nature of debt: results from a data-driven cointegrated svar approach (2018)
Working Paper: The janus-faced nature of debt: results from a data-driven cointegrated svar approach (2018)
Working Paper: The Janus-faced nature of debt: result from a data-driven cointegrated SVAR approach (2017)
Working Paper: The Janus-faced nature of debt: results form a data driven cointegrated SVAR approach (2017)
Working Paper: The Janus-faced nature of debt: results form a data driven cointegrated SVAR approach (2017)
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