This paper provides a novel way for instructors to teach about the perils of a large National Debt, which is currently $36 trillion. We provide a detailed lesson plan that utilizes balloons to illustrate the possible paths a society can take to address this issue. The lesson plan consists of an...

We develop a simple two-period principal-agent model in which a present-biased government, the agent, chooses public investment levels given a deficit rule imposed by the principal. The principal sets a deficit cap to curb current debt-financed consumption. In doing so, it also reduces long-term...

Through fiscal reaction functions, we investigate fiscal sustainability for five European country-group panels and check for a change in fiscal behaviour after countries adopted the euro as their currency. Using annual data for the period between 1990 and 2021, we identify evidence of average...

This paper evaluates Colombia's debt sustainability for the period 1980-2021, using a nonlinear fiscal reaction function approach. We employ a Markov-Switching model with annual data to identify sustainable and unsustainable fiscal regimes. According to this model, we identified an unsustainable...

A large share of euro area member states is highly indebted. On average, their debt ratios have experienced a strong and continued upward trend that needs to be reversed. The debt sustainability analysis in the new fiscal rules provides great flexibility to member statesbut exhibits weaknesses...

A large share of euro area member states is highly indebted. On average, their debt ratios have experienced a strong and continued upward trend that needs to be reversed. The debt sustainability analysis in the new fiscal rules provides great flexibility to member statesbut exhibits weaknesses...