Cyclically adjusted budget balance (CAB) is a widely cited and widely used concept in the evaluation of fiscal situations. The key idea behind it involves the identification of potential levels of economic variables. There are two recently used methods: the aggregate approach and the...

The assessment of the direction of fiscal policy is both important and controversial. Because budgets are influenced by business cycles, disentangling the underlying fiscal position from the effect of the business cycle is difficult. The two main methods used by international institutions to...