The Real Effects of Debt

39 Pages Posted: 19 Oct 2011

See all articles by Stephen G. Cecchetti

Stephen G. Cecchetti

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Brandeis International Business School; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR); European Systemic Risk Board

Madhusudan S. Mohanty

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) - Monetary and Economic Department

Fabrizio Zampolli

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) - Monetary and Economic Department

Date Written: September 1, 2011

Abstract

At moderate levels, debt improves welfare and enhances growth. But high levels can be damaging. When does debt go from good to bad? We address this question using a new dataset that includes the level of government, non-financial corporate and household debt in 18 OECD countries from 1980 to 2010. Our results support the view that, beyond a certain level, debt is a drag on growth. For government debt, the threshold is around 85% of GDP. The immediate implication is that countries with high debt must act quickly and decisively to address their fiscal problems. The longer-term lesson is that, to build the fiscal buffer required to address extraordinary events, governments should keep debt well below the estimated thresholds. Our examination of other types of debt yields similar conclusions. When corporate debt goes beyond 90% of GDP, it becomes a drag on growth. And for household debt, we report a threshold around 85% of GDP, although the impact is very imprecisely estimated.

Keywords: growth, public debt, private debt, debt threshold, ageing

JEL Classification: D9, H3, H6, O4

Suggested Citation

Cecchetti, Stephen G. and Cecchetti, Stephen G. and Mohanty, Madhusudan S. and Zampolli, Fabrizio, The Real Effects of Debt (September 1, 2011). BIS Working Paper No. 352, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1946170

Stephen G. Cecchetti (Contact Author)

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )

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Brandeis International Business School ( email )

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Madhusudan S. Mohanty

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) - Monetary and Economic Department ( email )

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Switzerland

Fabrizio Zampolli

Bank for International Settlements (BIS) - Monetary and Economic Department ( email )

Centralbahnplatz 2
CH-4002 Basel
Switzerland

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