Document Type
Working Paper
Publication Date
2011
Abstract
We study the dynamic output and welfare effects of public infrastructure investment under a balanced budget fiscal rule, using an overlapping generations model of a small open economy. The government finances public investment by employing distortionary labor taxes. We find a negative short-run output multiplier, which (in absolute terms) exceeds the positive long-run output multiplier. In contrast to conventional results regarding public investment shocks, we obtain dampened cycles in output and the labor tax rate. The cyclical dynamics are induced by the interaction of households' finite life spans, the wealth effect on labor supply, and the balanced budget fiscal rule. Finally, we show that, for a plausible calibration of our model, households' lifetime welfare improves.
Recommended Citation
Bom, Pedro R.D. and Ligthart, Jenny, "Public Infrastructure Investment, Output Dynamics, and Balanced Budget Fiscal Rules" (2011). ICEPP Working Papers. 99.
https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/icepp/99
Comments
International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series #1119, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.