We use the IMF's Global Fiscal Model to evaluate recent proposals to reform social security and the tax system in the United States. Introducing personal retirement accounts is unlikely to yield significant macroeconomic benefits unless it spurs additional fiscal consolidation to prevent a large...

We introduce local and foreign investors in a simple model of speculative attacks. Local investors have less tolerance for overvaluation of the fixed exchange rate because they tend to incur lower costs when taking a short position and possess better information, and because of moral hazard...

This paper studies the effects of household income on labor participation and school enrollment of children aged 10 to 14 in Brazil using a social security reform as a source of exogenous variation in household income. We find that increased benefits are associated with increases in school...

I estimate the impact of social security benefits on retirement decisions of rural workers by studying changes in the rules governing old-age benefits for rural workers in Brazil. I focus on a reform implemented in 1991, which reduced the minimum eligibility age, increased benefits, and extended...

Overseas activities of Japanese financial institutions have risen, mainly in Asia, since the global financial crisis. Stagnant growth and low interest margins in Japan have added to incentives to seek opportunities abroad. This paper explores the determinants of Japanese banks’ overseas...

Japan's key fiscal challenge is to put public finances on a more sustainable footing. This paper investigates the macroeconomic implications of alternative fiscal strategies for Japan using the IMF's Global Fiscal Model. The results suggest that (i) an adjustment package that achieves primary...

[fre] Les chercheurs dans des institutions ayant pour responsabilité de formuler des politiques économiques ont déployé un effort significatif pour développer une nouvelle génération de modèles macro-économiques reposant sur des bases micro-économiques plus rigoureuses. L’article...