Using panel data of 17 OECD countries for 1980-2011, we find that the distributional consequences of fiscal consolidations depend significantly on the level of private indebtedness. Austerity leads to a strong and persistent increase in income inequality during periods of private debt overhang....

This paper argues that the debt forgiveness provided by the U.S. consumer bankruptcy system helped stabilize employment levels during the Great Recession. We document that over this period, states with more generous bankruptcy exemptions had significantly smaller declines in non-tradable...

Diese kumulative Dissertation befasst sich mit den Ursachen und makroökonomischen Auswirkungen von Kreditbeschränkungen auf drei verschiedene ökonomische Akteure: Staaten, Firmen und Individuen. Die erste Arbeit untersucht Kreditbeschränkungen auf Staatenebene. In einer empirischen Analyse...