This thesis sets out to explain the relationship between fiscal spending and economic growth. The relationship is established using a panel vector autoregression model estimated by GMM, using GDP growth and government spending on a panel of 30 OECD countries. The model used is tested with slight variations in specification which are concluded to be important in the finalized results. By altering the specification used in the model this thesis produces relatively different sizes on the multiplier effect both in the short run and in the long run effect. The size of the multiplier effect produced by this thesis is varying between 0.437 on the low side and 2.224 on the high side depending on a few alterations in model specification. Similarly, the long run multiplier effect is measured as 1.873 on the low side and 8.263 on the high side. The mean duration of the multiplier effect is estimated to be approximately 3 years.

We analyse the role played by data and specification choices as determinants of the size of the fiscal multipliers obtained using structural vector autoregressive models. The results, based on over twenty million fiscal multiplier estimated for European countries, indicate that many seemingly harmless modelling choices have a significant effect on the size and precision of fiscal multiplier estimates. In addition to the structural shock identification strategy, these modelling choices include the definition of spending and taxes, the national accounts system employed, the use of particular interest rates or inflation measures, or whether data are smoothed prior to estimation. / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

<p>This dissertation consists of two chapters studying monetary and fiscal policy. In the first chapter, I study the welfare benefits and costs of increased central bank transparency in a dynamic model of costly information acquisition where agents can either choose to gather new costly information or remember information from the past for free. Information is costly to acquire due to an agent's limited attention. Agents face an intratemporal decision on how to allocate attention across public and private signals within the period and an intertemporal decision on how to allocate attention over time. The model embeds a coordination externality into the dynamic framework which motivates agents to be overly attentive to public information and creates the possibility of costly transparency. Interestingly, allowing for intratemporal and intertempral tradeoffs for attention amplifies (attenuates) the benefits (costs) of earlier transparency whereas it attenuates (amplifies) the benefits (costs) of delayed transparency. </p><p>The second chapter, co-authored with Barbara Rossi and Atsushi Inoue, studies the empirical effects of unexpected changes in government spending and tax policy on heterogeneous agents. We use data from the Consumption Expenditure Survey (CEX) to estimate individual-level impulse responses as well as multipliers for government spending and tax policy shocks. The main empirical finding of this paper is that unexpected fiscal shocks have substantially different effects on consumers depending on their age, income levels, and education. In particular, the wealthiest individuals tend to behave according to the predictions of standard RBC models, whereas the poorest individuals tend to behave according to standard IS-LM (non-Ricardian) models, due to credit constraints. Furthermore, government spending policy shocks tend to decrease consumption inequality, whereas tax policy shocks most negatively affect the lives of the poor, more so than the rich, thus increasing consumption inequality.</p> / Dissertation

O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de primariamente estudar o impacto da política fiscal brasileira sobre a atividade econômica via multiplicadores fiscais desagregados e secundariamente verificar se o comportamento da política fiscal é anticíclico, acíclico ou pró-cíclico. Para tanto, estima com técnicas bayesianas um modelo DSGE com um rico arcabouço de instrumentos fiscais de gastos e tributos desagregados em consumo público, investimento público, transferências e alíquotas tributárias sobre o consumo, a renda do trabalho e a renda do capital. Em especial, usa duas bases de dados distintas de alíquotas efetivas, que são os dados tributários que representam o mais fidedignamente possível as alíquotas do modelo e que ainda não foram utilizadas na literatura nacional. Os resultados mostram que, em todos os horizontes de tempo, o multiplicador do investimento público é o maior, enquanto o das transferências é o menor, e que a política fiscal brasileira é, em geral, pró-cíclica, contribuindo para amplificar o ciclo econômico. Assim, os multiplicadores indicam que, sob a perspectiva da preservação da atividade econômica, um ajuste fiscal deveria evitar cortes de investimento público, bem como dão respaldo à interpretação de que a diminuição da eficácia da política fiscal em 2010-11 se deveu à perda de espaço do investimento público na composição relativa dos estímulos fiscais. Um dos exercícios de sensibilidade revela que os multiplicadores fiscais são maiores quando a política fiscal é pró-cíclica, lançando luz sobre a questão não explorada na literatura do efeito do comportamento fiscal (anticíclico, acíclico ou pró-cíclico) sobre os multiplicadores fiscais e indicando que os estudos de economias caracterizadas por políticas fiscais pró-cíclicas, como a brasileira, que não levam em conta esse comportamento fiscal tendem a subestimar os multiplicadores. Ademais, o modelo evidencia quais são os instrumentos fiscais que mais ajudam a estabilizar a dívida pública e como o comportamento pró-cíclico magnifica os efeitos da política fiscal brasileira às expensas de uma dívida pública crescente, que posteriormente para ser estabilizada exige um arrocho fiscal duradouro que afeta negativamente o produto. Também revela que os choques fiscais são responsáveis por explicar uma parcela relevante da variação do crescimento do produto, razão superávit primário-produto e razão dívida pública-produto. / The present work aims to primarily study the Brazilian fiscal policy impact on the economic activity via disaggregated fiscal multipliers and secondarily verify if the fiscal policy behavior is anticyclical, acyclical or procyclical. To do so, it estimates with Bayesian techniques a DSGE model with a rich fiscal toolkit of expenditures and taxes disaggregated into public consumption, public investment, transfers and tax rates on consumption, labor income and capital income. Specially, it uses two different databases of effective tax rates, which are the tax data that represent the model\'s tax rates in the most reliable way and have not yet been used in the national literature. The results show that, in all the time horizons, the public investment multiplier is the greatest, while the transfers one is the smallest, and that the Brazilian fiscal policy is, in general, procyclical, contributing to amplify the business cycle. Thus, the multipliers indicate that, from the perspective of the economic activity preservation, a fiscal adjustment should avoid cuts in public investment, as well as support the interpretation that the fiscal policy efficacy decrease in 2010-11 was due to the public investment loss of space in the relative composition of the fiscal stimuli. One of the sensibility exercises reveal that the fiscal multipliers are higher when the fiscal policy is procyclical, shedding light on the question not explored in the literature of the effect of the fiscal behavior (anticyclical, acyclical or procyclical) on the fiscal multipliers and pointing out that studies about economies characterized by procyclical fiscal policies, like the Brazilian one, that do not take into account this fiscal behavior tend to underestimate the multipliers. Furthermore, the model highlights which are the fiscal instruments that help the most to stabilize the public debt and how the procyclical behavior magnifies the effects of the Brazilian fiscal policy at the expense of a rising public debt, which later to be stabilized requires an enduring fiscal tightening which affects negatively the output. It also reveals that the fiscal shocks are responsible for explaining a relevant fraction of the variability in the output growth, primary surplus-output ratio and public debt-output ratio.

O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de primariamente estudar o impacto da política fiscal brasileira sobre a atividade econômica via multiplicadores fiscais desagregados e secundariamente verificar se o comportamento da política fiscal é anticíclico, acíclico ou pró-cíclico. Para tanto, estima com técnicas bayesianas um modelo DSGE com um rico arcabouço de instrumentos fiscais de gastos e tributos desagregados em consumo público, investimento público, transferências e alíquotas tributárias sobre o consumo, a renda do trabalho e a renda do capital. Em especial, usa duas bases de dados distintas de alíquotas efetivas, que são os dados tributários que representam o mais fidedignamente possível as alíquotas do modelo e que ainda não foram utilizadas na literatura nacional. Os resultados mostram que, em todos os horizontes de tempo, o multiplicador do investimento público é o maior, enquanto o das transferências é o menor, e que a política fiscal brasileira é, em geral, pró-cíclica, contribuindo para amplificar o ciclo econômico. Assim, os multiplicadores indicam que, sob a perspectiva da preservação da atividade econômica, um ajuste fiscal deveria evitar cortes de investimento público, bem como dão respaldo à interpretação de que a diminuição da eficácia da política fiscal em 2010-11 se deveu à perda de espaço do investimento público na composição relativa dos estímulos fiscais. Um dos exercícios de sensibilidade revela que os multiplicadores fiscais são maiores quando a política fiscal é pró-cíclica, lançando luz sobre a questão não explorada na literatura do efeito do comportamento fiscal (anticíclico, acíclico ou pró-cíclico) sobre os multiplicadores fiscais e indicando que os estudos de economias caracterizadas por políticas fiscais pró-cíclicas, como a brasileira, que não levam em conta esse comportamento fiscal tendem a subestimar os multiplicadores. Ademais, o modelo evidencia quais são os instrumentos fiscais que mais ajudam a estabilizar a dívida pública e como o comportamento pró-cíclico magnifica os efeitos da política fiscal brasileira às expensas de uma dívida pública crescente, que posteriormente para ser estabilizada exige um arrocho fiscal duradouro que afeta negativamente o produto. Também revela que os choques fiscais são responsáveis por explicar uma parcela relevante da variação do crescimento do produto, razão superávit primário-produto e razão dívida pública-produto. / The present work aims to primarily study the Brazilian fiscal policy impact on the economic activity via disaggregated fiscal multipliers and secondarily verify if the fiscal policy behavior is anticyclical, acyclical or procyclical. To do so, it estimates with Bayesian techniques a DSGE model with a rich fiscal toolkit of expenditures and taxes disaggregated into public consumption, public investment, transfers and tax rates on consumption, labor income and capital income. Specially, it uses two different databases of effective tax rates, which are the tax data that represent the model\'s tax rates in the most reliable way and have not yet been used in the national literature. The results show that, in all the time horizons, the public investment multiplier is the greatest, while the transfers one is the smallest, and that the Brazilian fiscal policy is, in general, procyclical, contributing to amplify the business cycle. Thus, the multipliers indicate that, from the perspective of the economic activity preservation, a fiscal adjustment should avoid cuts in public investment, as well as support the interpretation that the fiscal policy efficacy decrease in 2010-11 was due to the public investment loss of space in the relative composition of the fiscal stimuli. One of the sensibility exercises reveal that the fiscal multipliers are higher when the fiscal policy is procyclical, shedding light on the question not explored in the literature of the effect of the fiscal behavior (anticyclical, acyclical or procyclical) on the fiscal multipliers and pointing out that studies about economies characterized by procyclical fiscal policies, like the Brazilian one, that do not take into account this fiscal behavior tend to underestimate the multipliers. Furthermore, the model highlights which are the fiscal instruments that help the most to stabilize the public debt and how the procyclical behavior magnifies the effects of the Brazilian fiscal policy at the expense of a rising public debt, which later to be stabilized requires an enduring fiscal tightening which affects negatively the output. It also reveals that the fiscal shocks are responsible for explaining a relevant fraction of the variability in the output growth, primary surplus-output ratio and public debt-output ratio.

This thesis deals with short-term relationship between fiscal policy and the real economy. Thesis is divided into three thematic units. In the first part through the analysis of studies examining the size of fiscal multipliers concludes, that depending on the assumptions and selected time period is the size of the multipliers greater in economic recessions, at zero interest rates of central banks or bigger taciturnity of the economy. The multipliers for the Czech Republic are low and did not exceed the value of one. The thesis also analyzes the development of public finances in the years 1997 - 2013 and identifies as their basic problem the structural nature of deficits. As a possible tool to improve the inclination of public finance to the budget deficits are identified fiscal rules limiting public spending. This rule is fully compatible with the Stability and Growth Pact and meets the basic requirements - the clarity and flexibility.

Cette thèse étudie les déterminants de l’efficacité de la politique budgétaire, et en analyse les modalités de mise en oeuvre. Le premier chapitre compare la valeur du multiplicateur budgétaire dans les économies émergentes (EMEs)et dans les avancées (AEs). Le multiplicateur est plus faible dans les EMEs que dans les AEs, et si les déterminants du multiplicateur y sont similaires, leur impact et leur hiérarchisation y sont différents. Dans les EMEs, l’amélioration de l’efficacité de la politique budgétaire semble devoir passer par des changements structurels relatifs aux institutions.D’après le chapitre 2, le multiplicateur décroit avec la part de la dette des firmes libellée en monnaie étrangère qui se trouve être particulièrement élevée dans les EMEs. Des mesures limitant les prêts en monnaie étrangère et favorisant le développement du système financier local devraient permettre de recouvrer l’efficacité de la politique budgétaire. Le troisième chapitre montre que les gouvernements européens interagissent entre eux pour fixer leurs politiques budgétaires: ils s’imitent avec un an de délai. Ces interactions sont dues à de la concurrence par comparaison. L’objectif électoral des politiques budgétaires peut en réduire l’efficacité. Aussi, davantage d’institutions seraient nécessaires pour garantir une certaine coordination budgétaire en Europe. Les interactions décalées dans le temps témoignent d’un phénomène de leader-suiveur en Europe, et le chapitre 4 montre que l’Allemagne occupe la place de leader. L’Allemagne pourrait donc amorcer une certaine coordination budgétaire en Europe. / This thesis analyzes the determinants of fiscal policy efficiency and the way fiscal policy is implemented. The first chapter compares the fiscal multiplier in emerging market economies (EMEs) with the one in advanced economies(AEs): the fiscal multiplier is smaller in EMEs than in AEs. While the determinants of fiscal multipliers are similar in both groups, their weights differ across groups. To improve fiscal policy efficiency EMEs seem to need structural policies to better their institutional quality. Chapter 2 empirically and theoretically shows that the fiscal multiplier decreases with the share of firms’ indebtedness that is denominated in foreign currency. EMEs have large debt denominated in foreign currency. Fostering the use of local currency to finance activity, for example via quotas on foreign loans, shall allow EMEs to improve the efficiency of their fiscal policies. Chapter 3 shows that European governments mimic each other in the implementation of fiscal policy with one year delay. These interactions are due to yardstick competition.The electoral objectives of governments may reduce fiscal policy efficiency and the incentive of governments to fiscally cooperate. If we believe in fiscal cooperation as a force to enhance fiscal policy efficiency, more institutions should be set up to foster cooperation in Europe. Moreover, the delayed interactions found are consistent with a leader-follower process, and Chapter 4 shows that Germany is the leader: European countries follow Germany in the implementation of fiscal policy. Hence, the push for fiscal cooperation could come from Germany.

Submitted by Ivan dos Anjos Todorov (ivanat86@gmail.com) on 2015-09-21T03:50:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Ivan Todorov FGV.pdf: 812676 bytes, checksum: 48d0afdd2c60b9af09c95b31e3a3eb3d (MD5) / Rejected by Renata de Souza Nascimento (renata.souza@fgv.br), reason: Ivan, boa noite Por gentileza, retire a informação que consta abaixo da ficha catalográfica referente a elaboração da mesma. Em seguida, realize uma nova submissão. Att on 2015-09-21T23:05:01Z (GMT) / Submitted by Ivan dos Anjos Todorov (ivanat86@gmail.com) on 2015-09-22T01:42:39Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Ivan Todorov FGV.pdf: 723882 bytes, checksum: 7a1ce7b1e2b81e9f9260a750b1f673c2 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Renata de Souza Nascimento (renata.souza@fgv.br) on 2015-09-22T10:31:43Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Ivan Todorov FGV.pdf: 723882 bytes, checksum: 7a1ce7b1e2b81e9f9260a750b1f673c2 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-09-22T13:39:55Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Ivan Todorov FGV.pdf: 723882 bytes, checksum: 7a1ce7b1e2b81e9f9260a750b1f673c2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-25 / The current international economic crisis showed that fighting output hiatus using only monetary tools might not be enough. In this context, questions about the efficiency of counter cyclical temporary fiscal stimulus where asked, and additionally which of those fiscal stimulus would bring more benefits to those economies. This work developed a structural DSGE model with characteristics and calibrations for the brazilian economy. The main goal was to perform an exercise with expansionary fiscal shocks, and to analyze their fiscal multipliers. The results suggest that the impact of government current spending would create larger fiscal multipliers, both in the short and in the long run, however it had decreasing accumulative effects. On the other hand, the consumption tax rate shock created small fiscal multipliers in the short run, however it had increasing effect on the long run, achieving long run multipliers similar to government current spending ones. / A atual crise econômica internacional mostrou que o combate a hiatos do produto utilizando apenas a política monetária pode não ser suficiente. Neste contexto, questões sobre a eficácia de estímulos fiscais temporários como política anticíclica foram levantadas, e adicionalmente quais estímulos fiscais seriam mais benéficos às economias. Este trabalho desenvolveu um modelo estrutural DSGE com características e calibrações para a economia brasileira. O objetivo era realizar um exercício com choques fiscais expansionistas, de modo a analisar seus multiplicadores fiscais. Os resultados sugerem que o impacto de gastos correntes do governo obteve melhor multiplicador fiscal, tanto no curto quanto no longo prazo, porém teve efeitos acumulativos decrescentes. Por outro lado, o choque de diminuição da alíquota dos impostos sobre consumo obteve baixos multiplicadores fiscais a curto prazo, porém com efeitos crescentes a longo prazo, alcançando multiplicadores de longo prazo similares aos dos gastos do governo.

Submitted by Nicolas da Silva Borsoi (borsoi.nicolas@gmail.com) on 2018-05-18T15:32:26Z No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_nicolas_borsoi.pdf: 620042 bytes, checksum: 26036c11b76bba089651e5a5c63a39a5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Pamela Beltran Tonsa (pamela.tonsa@fgv.br) on 2018-05-18T16:25:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_nicolas_borsoi.pdf: 620042 bytes, checksum: 26036c11b76bba089651e5a5c63a39a5 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-05-18T17:05:36Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_nicolas_borsoi.pdf: 620042 bytes, checksum: 26036c11b76bba089651e5a5c63a39a5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-05-18T17:05:36Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 dissertacao_nicolas_borsoi.pdf: 620042 bytes, checksum: 26036c11b76bba089651e5a5c63a39a5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-24 / The existing literature measuring the magnitude of the fiscal multiplier has a considerable consensus that the stimulative effects of fiscal instruments depends on the current state of economic activity, whether it is expanding or facing a recession. However, none of the previous works studied how the source of an economic downturn, if the economy is facing an adverse supply/demand shock, affects the effectiveness of fiscal expansions. We introduce in a simple New Keynesian model with a rich description of fiscal policy, the assumption of imperfectly informed policymakers (fiscal and monetary) to approach the question. Our results point out the existence of disparate effects of fiscal policy depending on whether the economy is facing a demand or a supply recession. Yet, we find out that cuts in taxes are an effective tool to counter the effects of adverse shocks on economic activity and aggregate consumption. / A atual literatura mensurando a magnitude do multiplicador fiscal apresenta um consenso considerável de que os efeitos estimulativos de instrumentos fiscais dependem do estado atual da atividade econômica, isto é, se o estímulo fiscal ocorre em uma recessão ou expansão econômica. Entretanto, nenhum dos trabalhos anteriores analisou a questão de se fonte da recessão, isto é, se o choque adverso tem uma natureza de demanda ou oferta, afeta a efetividade de expansões fiscais. Introduzimos em um modelo Novo Keynesiano com uma rica descrição de política fiscal, a hipótese de formuladores de política (fiscal e monetária) sujeitos à informação imperfeita, e quantificamos o multiplicador fiscal para responder a questão. Nossos resultados demonstram efeitos dispares da política fiscal dependendo da natureza do choque adverso. Entretanto, encontramos que cortes em tributos são efetivos para contrabalancear os efeitos recessivos desses choques sobre atividade econômica e consumo agregado.

The study is intended to identify relevant channels and possibly biasing factors with respect to fiscal multipliers, and thus to contribute to improving the precision of multiplier forecasts. This is done by, first, defining the concept of the multiplier used in the present study, presenting the main theoretical channels of influence as discussed in the literature and the problems of empirical identification. Second, by conducting a meta-regression analysis on the reported multipliers from a unique data set of 1069 multiplier observations and the respective study characteristics in order to derive quantitative stylzed facts. Third, by developing a simple multiplier model that explicitly takes into account the time elapse of the multiplier process as an explanatory factor that has been largely overlooked by the relevant theoretical literature. Fourth, by identifying, for US macroeconomic time series data, the extent to which fiscal multiplier estimates could be biased in the presence of financial cycles that have not been taken into account by the relevant empirical literature.