Zhigang Feng, University of Nebraska, Omaha

Abstract: This paper studies the impact of political and financial frictions on the macroeconomic activity around sovereign defaults. We compile a data-set that contains 16 default episodes. We examine the behavior of the economy around the time when the defaults happened, and document a set of stylized facts.To account for these empirical regularities we introduce capital accumulation, endogenous government spending, and taxation into an otherwise standard quantitative sovereign default model. We develop a novel numerical method to solve the equilibrium. The baseline economy is calibrated to match the macroeconomic dynamics of the average economy in our data-set. We use this model to explore how various political friction (government spending and / or taxation rigidity, etc.) and financial frictions (i.e. capital quality loss) affect the government’s decision whether or not to default on their debt obligation, and the feedback effects of their fiscal policy on macroeconomic activities.

Friday, October 19, 2018
3:30pm – 5:00pm
Fronczak 444
Small reception to follow in Room 426. All are invited to attend.