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Intergenerational transfers and the stability of public debt with short-lived governments

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  • Jean-Pierre Laffargue

    (CES - Centre d'économie de la Sorbonne - UP1 - Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

Abstract

Time consistent policies and reforms of intergenerational transfers are analyzed in an overlapping generation model. Governments have preferences, which give much weight to the living generations and they cannot commit themselves to future taxes and transfers, which will be decided by future governments with different objectives. The economy follows one of two equilibrium paths with perfect foresight. On one path, governments finance the costs of their transfers to the living by increasing public debt recklessly. Consumers pay more and more taxes to finance the cost of this debt, and the successive generations will enter a process of immiserisation. On the other path, in spite of their preference bias, governments borrow less and put the economy on a path of egalitarian consumption flows for the successive generations, with a constant ratio of public debt to national income. The mechanisms, which put an economy on one or the other equilibrium paths, are unconnected to the fundamentals of the model.

Suggested Citation

  • Jean-Pierre Laffargue, 2009. "Intergenerational transfers and the stability of public debt with short-lived governments," Université Paris1 Panthéon-Sorbonne (Post-Print and Working Papers) halshs-00270503, HAL.
  • Handle: RePEc:hal:cesptp:halshs-00270503
    DOI: 10.1080/08898480802619686
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://shs.hal.science/halshs-00270503
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Grossman, Gene M & Helpman, Elhanan, 1998. "Intergenerational Redistribution with Short-Lived Governments," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 108(450), pages 1299-1329, September.
    2. de la Croix,David & Michel,Philippe, 2002. "A Theory of Economic Growth," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521001151, October.
    3. David Miles & Ales Cerny, 2006. "Risk, Return and Portfolio Allocation under Alternative Pension Systems with Incomplete and Imperfect Financial Markets," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 116(511), pages 529-557, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Uryszek Tomasz, 2015. "Long-term Sustainability Of Public Finance In The Central And Eastern EU Member States / Długoterminowe Zrównoważenie Finansów Publicznych w Krajach Europy Środkowej i Wschodniej Należących Do Ue," Comparative Economic Research, Sciendo, vol. 18(4), pages 47-61, December.

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