Trace the cause-and-effect chain through which financing and refinancing of the public debt might affect real interest rates, private investment, the capital stock, and economic growth. How might investment in public capital and public-private complementarities alter the outcome of the cause-effect chain?

Short Answer

Expert verified

The crowding-out effect by public debt will increase the real interest rate, reduce private investment, stock of capital, and economic growth.

Investment in public capital increases the availability of public stock for future generations, repairing the economic loss by the crowding-out effect. Investment in public-private complementarities increases the public and private investments simultaneously, which eliminates the crowding-out effect.

Step by step solution

01

Cause-and-effect chain of public debt

When the government falls short of the funds, it opts for debt. The public debt can be for productive purposes or to settle the preceding debts.The increase in public debts raises the interest rate, crowding out private investment.

A decline in private investment lowers the stock of capital and aggregate spending of the economy. A smaller aggregate spending will hamper economic growth.

02

Alteration of the outcome of the cause-and-effect chain

Investment in public capital such as transportation, health, education, or any other physical or social infrastructure creates excessive production capacity in the economy in the future.It repairs the economic loss caused by the crowding-out effect.

Public-private complementarities can reduce the crowding-out impact of private investment.If the public debt is used for productive purposes, increasing the demand for private investment, the private and public investments will grow simultaneously, flourishing the economic growth.

For instance, the government invests the public debt in setting up new hospitals in an underdeveloped area. It will encourage private investment for setting up pathologies, medical and other shops, hotels, and restaurants in the area.

Therefore, the public and private investments will complement each other, and the economy will experience growth.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(For students who were assigned Chapter 11) Assume that, without taxes, the consumption schedule for an economy is as shown below:

GDP, Billions

Consumption, Billions
\(100120
200200
300280
400360
500440
600520
700600
  1. Graph this consumption schedule. What is the size of the MPC?

  2. Assume that a lump-sum (regressive) tax of \)10 billion is imposed at all levels of GDP. Calculate the tax rate at each level of GDP. Graph the resulting consumption schedule and compare the MPC and the multiplier with those of the pretax consumption schedule.

  3. Now suppose a proportional tax with a 10 percent tax rate is imposed instead of the regressive tax. Calculate and graph the new consumption schedule, and calculate the MPC and the multiplier.

  4. Finally, impose a progressive tax such that the tax rate is 0 percent when GDP is \(100, 5 percent at \)200, 10 percent at \(300, 15 percent at \)400, and so forth. Determine and graph the new consumption schedule, noting the effect of this tax system on the MPC and the multiplier.

  5. Use a graph similar to Figure 13.3 to show why proportional and progressive taxes contribute to greater economic stability, while a regressive tax does not.

Assume that a hypothetical economy with an MPC of .8 is experiencing a severe recession. By how much would government spending have to rise to shift the aggregate demand curve rightward by $25 billion? How large a tax cut would be needed to achieve the same increase in aggregate demand? Determine one possible combination of government spending increases and tax decreases that would accomplish the same goal.

In January, the interest rate is 5 percent and firms borrow \(50 billion per month for investment projects. In February, the federal government doubles its monthly borrowing from \)25 billion to \(50 billion, driving the interest rate up to 7 percent. As a result, firms cut back their borrowing to only \)30 billion per month. Which of the following is true?

  1. There is no crowding-out effect because the government’s increase in borrowing exceeds firms’ decrease in borrowing.

  2. There is a crowding-out effect of \(20 billion.

  3. There is no crowding-out effect because both the government and firms are still borrowing a lot.

  4. There is a crowding-out effect of \)25 billion.

What do economists mean when they say Social Security and Medicare are “pay-as-you-go” plans? What are the Social Security and Medicare trust funds, and how long will they have money left in them? What is the key long-run problem of both Social Security and Medicare? To fix the problem, do you favor increasing taxes or do you prefer reducing benefits?

Last year, while a hypothetical economy was in a recession, government spending was \(595 billion, and government revenue was \)505 billion. Economists estimate that if the economy had been at its full employment level of GDP last year, government spending would have been \(555 billion and government revenue would have been \)550 billion. Which of the following statements about this government’s fiscal situation are true?

  1. The government has a non–cyclically adjusted budget deficit of \(595 billion.

  2. The government has a non–cyclically adjusted budget deficit of \)90 billion.

  3. The government has a non–cyclically adjusted budget surplus of \(90 billion.

  4. The government has a cyclically adjusted budget deficit of \)555 billion.

  5. The government has a cyclically adjusted budget deficit of \(5 billion.

  6. The government has a cyclically adjusted budget surplus of \)5 billion.

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