This paper examines the problems raised by the recent sharp increases in the ratio of public debt to GNP in most OECD Member countries. When interest rates exceed growth rates, this development appears as a symptom of instability in public finances. The paper also analyses the evolution of...

This paper examines the question of tax reform in OECD countries. First, the reasons for tax reform are reviewed. These include economic efficiency arguments as well as concerns about equity which are often a major consideration. Next, the paper considers the many factors which constrain...

[eng] This article discusses several of the medium-term orientation O.E.C.D. countries economic policies in the 1980s, concentrating monetary and fiscal instruments. The developments that led to the adoption of such a « medium-term egy », and the apparent analytical rationale for it, are first...

This paper discusses several aspects of the medium-term orientation of OECD countries' economic policies in the 1980s, concentrating on monetary and fiscal instruments. The developments that led to the adoption of such a "medium-term strategy", and the apparent analytical rationale for it, are...

Although producers have been enticed into investment in value-added agribusiness the risk and return impacts have not been quantified. A spreadsheet simulation model is used to evaluate how investments by hog farmers in slaughter plants and other alternatives affect returns and risk. Results...

During the past decade, the formulation of fiscal policy has been increasingly founded on medium-term considerations associated with public debt and economic efficiency. In this regard, this paper, and the ones by Olivier Blanchard and Edward Gramlich in the same Working Paper Series, considers...

Après la longue récession qui a suivi le second choc pétrolier, la reprise économique est actuellement amorcée dans la plupart des grands pays de l'OCDE. Elle est d'une importance variable selon les pays : si les Etats-Unis connaissent d'ores et déjà une croissance rapide de la production...

Ces dernières années, le niveau des taux d'intérêt réels est apparu relativement élevé dans la plupart des pays de l'OCDE. Cela n'a pas empêché la reprise économique de se développer (à un rythme plus rapide aux Etats-Unis et au Japon qu'en Europe) pas plus qu'il n'y a eu,...

This paper first gives a brief account of the main changes introduced by OECD governments in their capital income tax rules during the 1980s with respect to both the corporate and personal sectors. It then examines the evolution of effective capital taxation, using a summary measure ("tax...