Sovereign default and liquidity: The case for a world safe asset

François Le Grand and Xavier Ragot

Journal of International Economics, 2021, vol. 131, issue C

Abstract: This paper presents a positive and normative study of a world financial market when sovereign countries can default on their debt. We construct a tractable model that enables us to study sovereign default in general equilibrium. The amount of safe assets is thus endogenous and determined by international risk-sharing. We characterize the equilibrium structure and we show that the market equilibrium can generate multiple equilibria. In addition, the market equilibrium is not constrained-efficient because countries do not fully internalize the value of their debt being used as liquidity. We prove that a world fund issuing a safe asset increases aggregate welfare. The fund's relationship with the IMF's Special Drawing Rights is discussed.

Keywords: Sovereign default; Safe asset; International liquidity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E21 E32 F34 O19 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Sovereign default and liquidity: The case for a world safe asset (2021)
Working Paper: Sovereign Default and Liquidity: The Case for a World Safe Asset (2021)
Working Paper: Sovereign default and liquidity: The case for a world safe asset (2021)
Working Paper: Sovereign Default and Liquidity: The Case for a World Safe Asset (2021)
Working Paper: Sovereign Default and Liquidity: the Case for a World Safe Asset (2017)
Working Paper: Sovereign Default and Liquidity: the Case for a World Safe Asset (2017)
Working Paper: Sovereign Default and Liquidity: the Case for a World Safe Asset (2017)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:inecon:v:131:y:2021:i:c:s0022199621000398

DOI: 10.1016/j.jinteco.2021.103462

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