Does it Cost to be Virtuous? The Macroeconomic Effects of Fiscal Constraints

Fabio Canova and Evi Pappa

No 11065, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: We study whether and how fiscal restrictions alter the business cycle features of macrovariables for a sample of 48 US states. We also examine the "typical" transmission properties of fiscal disturbances and the implied fiscal rules of states with different fiscal restrictions. Fiscal constraints are characterized with a number of indicators. There are similarities in second moments of macrovariables and in the transmission properties of fiscal shocks across states with different fiscal constraints. The cyclical response of expenditure differs in size and sometimes in sign, but heterogeneity within groups makes point estimates statistically insignificant. Creative budget accounting is responsible for the pattern. Implications for the design of fiscal rules and the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact are discussed.

JEL-codes: E3 E5 H7 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2005-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-mac and nep-pbe
Note: EFG PE
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (14)

Published as Canova, Fabio and Evi Pappa. "The Elusive Costs And The Immaterial Gains Of Fiscal Constraints," Journal of Public Economics, 2006, v90(8-9,Sep), 1391-1414.
Published as Does It Cost to Be Virtuous? The Macroeconomic Effects of Fiscal Constraints , Fabio Canova, Evi Pappa. in NBER International Seminar on Macroeconomics 2004 , Clarida, Frankel, Giavazzi, and West. 2006

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Chapter: Does It Cost to Be Virtuous? The Macroeconomic Effects of Fiscal Constraints (2006)
Working Paper: Does it cost to be virtuous? The macroeconomic effects of fiscal constraints (2005)
Working Paper: Does it Cost to be Virtuous? The Macroeconomic Effect of Fiscal Constraints (2004)
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