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Beyond Pangloss: Financial sector origins of inefficient economic booms

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  • McMahon, Michael
  • Malherbe, Frédéric

Abstract

Government guarantees to banks are ubiquitous. We study an equilibrium model where, in the presence of such guarantees, the equilibrium allocation can be characterised as Panglossian: it corresponds to that of a deterministic economy where the best possible state always occurs. However, GDP is inefficiently high and expected consumption inefficiently low. Financial sophistication magnifies this distortion, taking the allocation beyond the Panglossian outcome (i.e. with even higher GDP and even lower expected consumption). We argue that this mechanism is empirically relevant for advanced economies and suggest that the Great Recession, partly, reversed a Great Distortion.

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  • McMahon, Michael & Malherbe, Frédéric, 2020. "Beyond Pangloss: Financial sector origins of inefficient economic booms," CEPR Discussion Papers 15180, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpr:ceprdp:15180
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    Cited by:

    1. Benjamin Hemingway, 2022. "Banking Regulation and Collateral Screening in a Model of Information Asymmetry," Journal of Financial Services Research, Springer;Western Finance Association, vol. 61(3), pages 367-405, June.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation

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