IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/openec/v29y2018i1d10.1007_s11079-017-9446-z.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

On the Logic of Fiscal Policy Coordination in a Monetary Union

Author

Listed:
  • Oliver Landmann

    (Universität Freiburg)

Abstract

Fiscal policies have been widely criticized for their failure to act as a stabilizing countercyclical force in the European Monetary Union (EMU) prior to the Financial Crisis of 2008, and even more so thereafter. Motivated by EMU experience, this paper lays out a parsimonious model of fiscal-monetary policy interaction between national fiscal authorities and a common central bank. It is well known that the structure of this interaction changes fundamentally when the central bank is constrained by a binding zero lower bound on the interest rate. This paper demonstrates that decentralized fiscal policies suffer from a systematic procyclical bias in a monetary union, both when the zero lower bound bites and when it does not. Whereas the existing literature on fiscal policy coordination knows “locomotive games” and “discipline games”, in which fiscal policies are too tight or too loose, respectively, the analysis in this paper identifies a more general “stabilization game” in which coordination can play a useful role by strengthening the countercyclical thrust of fiscal policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Oliver Landmann, 2018. "On the Logic of Fiscal Policy Coordination in a Monetary Union," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 29(1), pages 69-87, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:29:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11079-017-9446-z
    DOI: 10.1007/s11079-017-9446-z
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11079-017-9446-z
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11079-017-9446-z?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tobias Cwik & Volker Wieland, 2011. "Keynesian government spending multipliers and spillovers in the euro area [Fiscal policy and growth: do financial crises make a difference?]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 26(67), pages 493-549.
    2. Gali­, Jordi & Monacelli, Tommaso, 2008. "Optimal monetary and fiscal policy in a currency union," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1), pages 116-132, September.
    3. Mr. Roel M. W. J. Beetsma & Mr. Xavier Debrun & Mr. Franc Klaassen, 2001. "Is Fiscal Policy Coordination in EMU Desirable?," IMF Working Papers 2001/178, International Monetary Fund.
    4. Michael Woodford, 2011. "Simple Analytics of the Government Expenditure Multiplier," American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics, American Economic Association, vol. 3(1), pages 1-35, January.
    5. Huart Florence, 2013. "Is Fiscal Policy Procyclical in the Euro Area?," German Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 14(1), pages 73-88, February.
    6. Antonio Fatás & Ilian Mihov, 2010. "The Euro and Fiscal Policy," NBER Chapters, in: Europe and the Euro, pages 287-324, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    7. Jonathan Portes & Simon Wren-Lewis, 2015. "Issues in the Design of Fiscal Policy Rules," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 83, pages 56-86, September.
    8. Lars Calmfors & Simon Wren-Lewis, 2011. "What should fiscal councils do? [Fiscal policy when monetary policy is tied to the mast]," Economic Policy, CEPR, CESifo, Sciences Po;CES;MSH, vol. 26(68), pages 649-695.
    9. Mark Gertler & Jordi Gali & Richard Clarida, 1999. "The Science of Monetary Policy: A New Keynesian Perspective," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1661-1707, December.
    10. Olivier Blanchard & Christopher J. Erceg & Jesper Lindé, 2017. "Jump-Starting the Euro-Area Recovery: Would a Rise in Core Fiscal Spending Help the Periphery?," NBER Macroeconomics Annual, University of Chicago Press, vol. 31(1), pages 103-182.
    11. Lukas Vogel & Werner Roeger & Bernhard Herz, 2013. "The Performance of Simple Fiscal Policy Rules in Monetary Union," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 165-196, February.
    12. Roel Beetsma & Massimo Giuliodori, 2010. "The Macroeconomic Costs and Benefits of the EMU and Other Monetary Unions: An Overview of Recent Research," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 48(3), pages 603-641, September.
    13. Bénétrix, Agustín S. & Lane, Philip R., 2013. "Fiscal cyclicality and EMU," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 164-176.
    14. Kempf, Hubert & von Thadden, Leopold, 2013. "When do cooperation and commitment matter in a monetary union?," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 252-262.
    15. Mark Gertler & Jordi Gali & Richard Clarida, 1999. "The Science of Monetary Policy: A New Keynesian Perspective," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 37(4), pages 1661-1707, December.
    16. Lawrence Christiano & Martin Eichenbaum & Sergio Rebelo, 2011. "When Is the Government Spending Multiplier Large?," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 119(1), pages 78-121.
    17. J. B. Taylor & Harald Uhlig (ed.), 2016. "Handbook of Macroeconomics," Handbook of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, edition 1, volume 2, number 2.
    18. Oliver Landmann, 2012. "Rotating Slumps in a Monetary Union," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 23(2), pages 303-317, April.
    19. Dixit, Avinash & Lambertini, Luisa, 2001. "Monetary-fiscal policy interactions and commitment versus discretion in a monetary union," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 45(4-6), pages 977-987, May.
    20. Engel, Charles, 2016. "International coordination of central bank policy," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 13-24.
    21. Oliver Landmann, 2011. "On the Macroeconomics of European Divergence," CESifo Forum, ifo Institute - Leibniz Institute for Economic Research at the University of Munich, vol. 12(02), pages 19-25, July.
    22. Philip R. Lane, 2012. "The European Sovereign Debt Crisis," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 26(3), pages 49-68, Summer.
    23. Gerhard Illing & Sebastian Watzka, 2014. "Fiscal Multipliers and Their Relevance in a Currency Union – A Survey," German Economic Review, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 15(2), pages 259-271, May.
    24. Simon Wren-Lewis, 2013. "Macroeconomic Stabilisation in the Eurozone: Lessons from Failure," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 4, pages 66-73, July.
    25. Reinhard Neck & Engelbert Dockner, 1995. "Commitment and coordination in a dynamic game model of international economic policy-making," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 6(1), pages 5-28, January.
    26. Dixit, Avinash & Lambertini, Luisa, 2003. "Symbiosis of monetary and fiscal policies in a monetary union," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 60(2), pages 235-247, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hubert Kempf, 2021. "Fiscal Federalism in a Monetary Union: The No-Cooperation Pitfall," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 32(1), pages 109-151, February.
    2. Chortareas, Georgios & Mavrodimitrakis, Christos, 2021. "Policy conflict, coordination, and leadership in a monetary union under imperfect instrument substitutability," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 342-361.
    3. Carsten Hefeker & Michael Neugart, 2019. "Policy Coordination Under Model Disagreement and Uncertainty," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 30(4), pages 719-737, September.
    4. Loewald, Christopher & Wörgötter, Andreas, 2019. "Do monetary unions dream of structural reforms?," ECON WPS - Working Papers in Economic Theory and Policy 01/2019, TU Wien, Institute of Statistics and Mathematical Methods in Economics, Economics Research Unit.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Chortareas, Georgios & Mavrodimitrakis, Christos, 2021. "Policy conflict, coordination, and leadership in a monetary union under imperfect instrument substitutability," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 183(C), pages 342-361.
    2. Hettig, Thomas & Müller, Gernot J., 2018. "Fiscal policy coordination in currency unions at the effective lower bound," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 80-98.
    3. Francesco Caprioli & Marzia Romanelli & Pietro Tommasino, 2020. "Discretionary fiscal policy in the Euro area: Past, present and future," ECONOMIA PUBBLICA, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2020(1), pages 55-85.
    4. Chortareas, Georgios & Mavrodimitrakis, Christos, 2016. "Can monetary policy fully stabilize pure demand shocks in a monetary union with a fiscal leader?," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 463-468.
    5. Chortareas, Georgios & Mavrodimitrakis, Christos, 2017. "Strategic fiscal policies and leadership in a monetary union," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 133-147.
    6. Wieland, Volker & Binder, Michael & Lieberknecht, Philipp & Quintana, Jorge, 2017. "Model Uncertainty in Macroeconomics: On the Implications of Financial Frictions," CEPR Discussion Papers 12013, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Palek, Jakob & Schwanebeck, Benjamin, 2017. "Financial frictions and optimal stabilization policy in a monetary union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 61(C), pages 462-477.
    8. Hughes Hallett, Andrew & Mavrodimitrakis, Christos, 2019. "Cooperation vs. leadership in a core-periphery monetary union: Inter-country vs. inter-institutional policy coordination," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 103-122.
    9. Oliver Grimm & Stefan Ried, 2007. "Macroeconomic Policy in a Heterogeneous Monetary Union," CER-ETH Economics working paper series 07/67, CER-ETH - Center of Economic Research (CER-ETH) at ETH Zurich.
    10. Debrun, Xavier & Masuch, Klaus & Ferrero, Guiseppe & Vansteenkiste, Isabel & Ferdinandusse, Marien & von Thadden, Leopold & Hauptmeier, Sebastian & Alloza, Mario & Derouen, Chloé & Bańkowski, Krzyszto, 2021. "Monetary-fiscal policy interactions in the euro area," Occasional Paper Series 273, European Central Bank.
    11. Evers, Michael P., 2012. "Federal fiscal transfer rules in monetary unions," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 507-525.
    12. Engwerda, J. & Boldea, O. & Michalak, T. & Plasmans, J. & Salmah,, 2012. "A simulation study of an ASEAN monetary union," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 29(5), pages 1870-1890.
    13. Atanas Pekanov, 2018. "The New View on Fiscal Policy and its Implications for the European Monetary Union," WIFO Working Papers 562, WIFO.
    14. Vieira, Paulo & Machado, Celsa & Ribeiro, Ana Paula, 2018. "Optimal discretionary monetary and fiscal policies in a country-size heterogeneous monetary union," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 154-174.
    15. Séverine Menguy, 2016. "Optimal Budgetary Policies in New-Keynesian Models: Can they help when the Zero Lower Bound is binding?," Bulletin of Applied Economics, Risk Market Journals, vol. 3(2), pages 43-98.
    16. repec:ebl:ecbull:v:5:y:2004:i:15:p:1-7 is not listed on IDEAS
    17. Pasquale Foresti, 2015. "Monetary and debt-concerned fiscal policies interaction in monetary unions," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 12(4), pages 541-552, October.
    18. Pasquale Foresti, 2018. "Monetary And Fiscal Policies Interaction In Monetary Unions," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 226-248, February.
    19. Juha Kilponen & Massimiliano Pisani & Sebastian Schmidt & Vesna Corbo & Tibor Hledik & Josef Hollmayr & Samuel Hurtado & Paulo Júlio & Dmitry Kulikov & Matthieu Lemoine & Matija Lozej & Henrik Lundval, 2019. "Comparing Fiscal Consolidation Multipliers across Models in Europe," International Journal of Central Banking, International Journal of Central Banking, vol. 15(3), pages 285-320, September.
    20. Nakata, Taisuke, 2016. "Optimal fiscal and monetary policy with occasionally binding zero bound constraints," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 220-240.
    21. Peter Bofinger & Eric Mayer, 2007. "Monetary and Fiscal Policy Interaction in the Euro Area with Different Assumptions on the Phillips Curve," Open Economies Review, Springer, vol. 18(3), pages 291-305, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:openec:v:29:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1007_s11079-017-9446-z. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.