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Fiscal and External Sustainability: a Two-Step Time-varying Granger Causality Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • António Afonso
  • José Alves
  • José Carlos Coelho
  • Jamel Saadaoui

Abstract

We implement a two-step analysis of fiscal and external causality patterns using a data set covering the 27 EU countries in the period 2002Q1-2023Q4. In the 1st step, we compute fiscal and external sustainability time-varying coefficients, modelling the cointegration relationship between government revenues and government spending, and between exports and imports. In the 2nd step, we use three recursive strategies, combined with Granger causality tests: forward expanding, rolling, and recursive window methods to capture causal relationships. Our results show that: (i) peripheral countries have lower sustainability coefficients, while non-Eurozone countries have higher sustainability coefficients, (ii) after the 2008 global financial crisis, there was an improvement in fiscal and external sustainability for most countries, (iii) during the Eurozone crisis in 2010-2012, in Austria, France, Greece, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovakia and Spain, there was causality between fiscal and external sustainability, (iv) during that period, causality was observed between the external and fiscal sustainability in EMU countries (Austria, Germany, Malta, Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain) and in non-EMU countries.

Suggested Citation

  • António Afonso & José Alves & José Carlos Coelho & Jamel Saadaoui, 2025. "Fiscal and External Sustainability: a Two-Step Time-varying Granger Causality Assessment," Working Papers REM 2025/0369, ISEG - Lisbon School of Economics and Management, REM, Universidade de Lisboa.
    • Handle: RePEc:ise:remwps:wp03692025
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    fiscal sustainability; external sustainability; European Union; time-varying causality; lag-augmented vector autoregression.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • C22 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Time-Series Models; Dynamic Quantile Regressions; Dynamic Treatment Effect Models; Diffusion Processes
    • C23 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Single Equation Models; Single Variables - - - Models with Panel Data; Spatio-temporal Models
    • F32 - International Economics - - International Finance - - - Current Account Adjustment; Short-term Capital Movements
    • F41 - International Economics - - Macroeconomic Aspects of International Trade and Finance - - - Open Economy Macroeconomics
    • H30 - Public Economics - - Fiscal Policies and Behavior of Economic Agents - - - General
    • H62 - Public Economics - - National Budget, Deficit, and Debt - - - Deficit; Surplus

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