History Remembered: Optimal Sovereign Default on Domestic and External Debt /

Infrequent but turbulent overt sovereign defaults on domestic creditors are a "forgotten history" in Macroeconomics. We propose a heterogeneous-agents model in which the government chooses optimal debt and default on domestic and foreign creditors by balancing distributional incentives v....

Ausführliche Beschreibung

Gespeichert in:
Weitere Titel:
History Remembered
1. Verfasser:
D'Erasmo, Pablo
Körperschaft:
National Bureau of Economic Research
Weitere Verfasser:
Mendoza, Enrique G.
Format:
Elektronisch E-Book
Sprache:
Englisch
Veröffentlicht:
Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2018.
Zusammenfassung:
Infrequent but turbulent overt sovereign defaults on domestic creditors are a "forgotten history" in Macroeconomics. We propose a heterogeneous-agents model in which the government chooses optimal debt and default on domestic and foreign creditors by balancing distributional incentives v. the social value of debt for self-insurance, liquidity, and risk-sharing. A rich feedback mechanism links debt issuance, the distribution of debt holdings, the default decision, and risk premia. Calibrated to Eurozone data, the model is consistent with key long-run and debt-crisis statistics. Defaults are rare (1.2 percent frequency), and preceded by surging debt and spreads. Debt sells at the risk-free price most of the time, but the government's lack of commitment reduces sustainable debt sharply.
Umfang:
1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);
Anmerkungen:
September 2018.
Schlagworte: