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Public Debt as Private Liquidity: Optimal Policy

Author

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  • George-Marios Angeletos

    (MIT Department of Economics - MIT - Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

  • Fabrice Collard

    (TSE-R - Toulouse School of Economics - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement)

  • Harris Dellas

    (UNIBE - Universität Bern / University of Bern)

Abstract

We study optimal policy in an economy in which public debt serves as collateral or buffer stock. Issuing more public debt can raise welfare by easing the underlying friction; but it also reduces the premium that the private sector is willing to pay for this service, which in turn raises interest rates. This trade off shapes the optimal long-run quantity of public debt. It justifies larger deficits during financial crises. It may subsume other considerations, such as whether public debt crowds out, or in, capital. And it clarifies the circumstances under which a low risk-free rate represents an opportunity of cheap borrowing by the government. * This paper supersedes an earlier paper, entitled "Optimal Public Debt Management and Liquidity Provision" (Angeletos et al, 2016). We are grateful to Behzad Diba for his collaboration on the early stages of this project; to Pedro Teles and Per Krusell for discussing our paper in conferences; to numerous seminar participants for their comments; and, last but not certainly not least, to Harald Uhlig and three anonymous for their extensive feedback. Angeletos also thanks the University of Bern, the Study Center Gerzensee, and the Swiss Finance Institute for their hospitality.

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  • George-Marios Angeletos & Fabrice Collard & Harris Dellas, 2022. "Public Debt as Private Liquidity: Optimal Policy," Working Papers hal-03763095, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03763095
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03763095
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • E62 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Macroeconomic Policy, Macroeconomic Aspects of Public Finance, and General Outlook - - - Fiscal Policy; Modern Monetary Theory

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