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On the benefits of GDP-indexed government debt: lessons from a model of sovereign defaults
Economic Quarterly (2012)
  • Juan Carlos Hatchondo
  • Leonardo Martinez
Abstract

Whether governments should issue GDP-indexed sovereign debt continues to be the subject of policy debates. This article contributes to this debate by studying the effects of issuing GDP-indexed sovereign debt contracts using the equilibrium default model studied by Aguiar and Gopinath (2006) and Arellano (2008). We consider an extension with perfect indexation, i.e., the government issues Arrow-Debreu securities with payoffs that depend on the next-period aggregate income realization. The ex-ante welfare gain from the introduction of income-indexed bonds is equivalent to a permanent increase in consumption of 0.5 percent. Introducing income-indexed bonds results in welfare gains because it 1) eliminates defaults, 2) increases the average level of debt, and 3) reduces the volatility of consumption.

Publication Date
2012
Citation Information
Juan Carlos Hatchondo and Leonardo Martinez. "On the benefits of GDP-indexed government debt: lessons from a model of sovereign defaults" Economic Quarterly Vol. 98 Iss. 2 (2012)
Available at: http://works.bepress.com/leonardo_martinez/21/