Fiscal restrictions and monetary union: Rationales,repercussions, reforms

We offer a critique of the fiscal preconditions for participation in Stage III of EMU and the Excessive Deficit Procedure of the Maastricht Treaty. We show that the high output costs associated with meeting the fiscal preconditions in Stage II and the incompatibility of the reference values for fiscal policy with other convergence criteria make it unlikely that a mechanical interpretation of those conditions will govern admission to Stage III. Knowledge of this fact will deter governments from undertaking major fiscal adjustments in the first place. Hence, the fiscal criteria of the treaty will not function as an efficient filter for distinguishing countries that are and are not prepared to live with the fiscal consequences of EMU.In Stage III, the function of the Excessive Deficit Procedure is to buttress the European Central Bank's protection from demands for a central bank bailout in the event of a debt crisis in a participating state. We show that other aspects of EU fiscal structure, namely the retention by member states of the bulk of their own revenue-raising capacity, should suffice to restrain the demand for a central bank bailout and the pressure on the ECB to supply it. Until political union follows monetary union, leading to the centralization of fiscal functions and revenu-raising capacity in the EU itself, the Excessive Deficit Procedure will be redundant. If there remains any reason to doubt the credibility of the no-bailout rule, then the best way to buttress it is directly, by further insulating the ECB from pressure to extend a bailout.If it is felt that policy in EU member states is biased toward excessive deficits, then the appropriate place to address this problem is at the national level. A limited approach would involve steps to insure that negotiations over the budget occur in the context of a firm general constraint on the overall level of spending. A more far-reaching reform would involve the creation of National Debt Boards to offset the prevailing bias.     

美国经常账户逆差可持续性问题的另类思考

美国经常账户逆差是结构性逆差,不应诉求美元贬值或迫使其他国家货币升值等数量性调控手段而加以改善,而应善用因美国经常账户逆差而输出的回流资本,一方面购买国内因产业结构升级而无法生产或少生产的国外廉价商品满足国内消费者必需品或中低端奢侈品的消费需求,提高国民福利;另一方面与国内因补偿性逆差或资源性逆差而释放出来的劳动力以及国内高端技术有效结合,提高国内生产率,增加国内GDP或扩大财富,稳定美元的储备地位,并利用增加的GDP、财富和美元的储备地位,使得NIIP/财富或△NIIP/GDP的比率保持在一个可容忍的稳定水平,加强外国投资者对美国的信心;同时将部分过剩的资本输至国外,与国外廉价的劳动力或优势资源相结合,获取高额的资本回报率,保持收入账户的盈余,降低利息偿付的压力。这样,净外债的增加加速了美国的经济和财富增长,进而强化了美元的储备地位,而经济的增长和储备地位的巩固又吸引外资流入,实现了良性的经济循环。因此只要美国仍能保持这一增长模式,且存在无限的生命周期,美国就能做到无穷的蓬齐博弈,美国经常账户逆差的可持续性就不会受到质疑。     

Comparison of therapy augmentation and deviation rates from the recommended once-daily dosing regimen between LDX and commonly prescribed long-acting stimulants for the treatment of ADHD in youth and adults

Abstract

Objective:

To compare therapy augmentation and deviation rates from the recommended once-daily dosing regimen in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) patients initiated on lisdexamfetamine (LDX) vs other once-daily Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved stimulants.

Methods:

ADHD patients initiated on a long-acting ADHD stimulant medication (index medication) in/after 2007 were selected from a large US administrative claims database. Patients were required to be persistent for ≥90 days and continuously enrolled in their healthcare plan for ≥12 months following treatment initiation date. Based on age and previous treatment status, patients were classified into treatment-naïve children and adolescents (6–17 years old), previously treated children and adolescents, treatment-naïve adults (≥18 years old), and previously treated adults. Furthermore, patients were classified into four mutually exclusive treatment groups, based on index medication: lisdexamfetamine (LDX), osmotic release methylphenidate hydrochloride long-acting (OROS MPH), other methylphenidate/dexmethylphenidate long-acting (MPH LA), and amphetamine/dextroamphetamine long-acting (AMPH LA). The average daily consumption was measured as the quantity of index medication supplied in the 12-month study period divided by the total number of days of supply. Therapy augmentation was defined as the use of another ADHD medication concomitantly with the index medication for ≥28 consecutive days. Therapy augmentation and deviation rates from the recommended once-daily dosing regimen were compared between treatment groups using multivariate logistic regression models.

Results:

Compared to the other treatment groups, LDX patients were less likely to augment with another ADHD medication (range odds ratios [OR]; 1.28–3.30) and to deviate from the recommended once-daily dosing regimen (range OR; 1.73–4.55), except for previously treated adult patients, where therapy augmentation differences were not statistically significant when compared to OROS MPH and MPH LA patients.

Limitations:

This study did not control for ADHD severity.

Conclusion:

Overall, compared to LDX-treated patients, patients initiated on other ADHD medications were equally or more likely to have a therapy augmentation and more likely to deviate from the recommended once-daily dosing regimen.     

The comovement between monetary and fiscal policy instruments during the post-war period in the U.S.

This paper empirically studies the dynamic relationship between monetary and fiscal policies by analyzing the comovements between the Fed funds rate and the primary deficit/output ratio. Simple economic thinking establishes that a negative correlation between Fed rate and deficit arises whenever the two policy authorities share a common stabilization objective. However, when budget balancing concerns lead to a drastic deficit reduction the Fed may reduce the Fed rate in order to smooth the impact of fiscal policy, which results in a positive correlation between these two policy instruments. The empirical results show (i) a significant negative comovement between Fed rate and deficit and (ii) that deficit and output gap Granger-cause the Fed funds rate during the post-Volcker era, but the opposite is not true.     

Deficits and Divided Governments: The Case of the German ‘Bundesrat’

The hypothesis of divided government is applied to the development of deficits in Germany. Since the party system is relatively stable, divided governments emerge not from coalitional governments, but rather from the bicameral structure of the country. Different majorities in the two chambers promote deficits, especially in the case of central government deficits. The results suggest that under different majorities in the two chambers deficits are more than 0.5%-Point higher. Further, it is indicated, that only ideological polarization, but not unstable majorities per se induces higher deficits.

美国国际收支结构的持续性及调整分析

从近期来看,以"逆差 顺差"为特点的美国国际收支结构是可以持续的,从中长期来看,以亚洲国家为外围主体为美国经常项目赤字融资这一复活的布雷顿森林体系难以长久存在。面对日益庞大的经常项目赤字,美国试图通过货币重估来转移其经常项目调整负担。美国试图通过东亚经济体货币联合升值来调整外部经济失衡,有其理论上的可行性,但实践起来有困难。美国经常项目失衡问题应该从美国自身着手加以解决,其他国家特别是东亚经济体要采取有效的宏观经济政策加以配合。     

财政赤字的排挤效应:实证分析

本文首先通过把财政收支引入居民消费函数,估计财政赤字对民间消费的影响;然后,分别从经济周期、全社会固定资产投资的资金来源以及资本收益率等角度,分析财政赤字对民间投资的影响.其结果均表明,1998年以来我国实施的积极财政政策所导致的财政赤字,并没有产生排挤效应.     

财政赤字货币化与美国金融危机的政治经济学分析

受由新冠疫情引发的经济衰退影响,美国启动了以增发国债和超级量化宽松为基础的数轮纾困政策,以央行购买国债推动经济复苏的财政赤字货币化政策自2008年后再一次引起了全球的注意.本文以美国为刺激经济复苏施行的财政政策和货币政策为出发点,从经济基础、理论基础、制度演变、财政赤字和国债规模变化等角度分析了财政赤字货币化的形成原因...     

When do more selfish politicians manipulate less,not more?

We model the political manipulation of deficits in a political budget cycle model. Assuming that a share of voters suffers from debt illusion the incumbent can increase her re-election chances by expanding government spending. However, the optimal manipulation may exceed the amount necessary to maximize re-election chances (over-manipulation) if the deficit is not very costly (low repayment obligation). Then, more selfish politicians (higher ego rents and, therefore, increased re-election motivation) reduce the over-manipulation. Conversely, “excessive” spending may wrongly be interpreted as opportunistic government manipulation. Theoretical results are supported empirically, with very robust evidence in a sample of 87 democracies.