1. Fiscal Policy, Deficits, and Debt Chapter 30 McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2009 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. 30-2 Chapter Objectives Purposes, tools, and limitations of fiscal policy Built-in stabilizers and the business cycle The standardized budget and U.S. fiscal policy U.S. public debt

3. 30-3 Fiscal Policy Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) Discretionary fiscal policy –Eliminate recessionary or inflationary gap –Countercyclical Nondiscretionary fiscal policy –Passive or automatic

4. 30-4 Expansionary fiscal policy –Increased spending and/or lower taxes –Budget deficit Contractionary fiscal policy –Lower spending and/or higher taxes –Budget surplus Policy options? Fiscal Policy

5. 30-5 Contractionary Fiscal Policy Real Domestic Output, GDP Price Level AD 3 Reduce Demand Pull Inflation AD 4 $5 Billion Initial Decrease In Spending Full $20 Billion Decrease in Aggregate Demand AS $510$522 P1P1

6. 30-6 Built-In Stability Automatic stabilizers –Taxes and transfers Economic importance Tax progressivity –Progressive tax system –Proportional tax system –Regressive tax system

7. 30-7 (1) Year (2) Actual Deficit (-) or Surplus (+) (3) Standardized Deficit (-) or Surplus (+) Budget Balances as % of GDP 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 -4.5% -3.8% -2.9% -2.2% -1.4% -0.3% +0.8% +1.4% +2.5% +1.3% -1.5% -3.4% -3.5% -2.6% -1.9% -1.3% -2.9% -2.1% -2.0% -1.2% -1.0% -0.4% +0.1% +1.1% +1.0% -1.2% -2.5% -2.4% -1.9% -1.8% -1.4% Source: Congressional Budget Office

8. 30-8 Standardized Budget Balance Percentage of Potential GDP, 2007 Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Denmark New Zealand Ireland Canada Norway France United States United Kingdom Japan -6-4-20246 Deficits Surpluses

9. 30-9 Federal Budget Balance Actual and Projected, Fiscal 1994-2014 Source: Congressional Budget Office $300 200 100 0 -100 -200 -300 -400 -500 Budget Deficit (-) or Surplus, Billions 19941996199820002002200420062008201020122014 ActualProjected(as of March 2008)

10. 30-10 Problems of timing –Recognition lag –Administrative lag –Operational lag Political considerations Future policy reversals Offsetting state and local finance Crowding-out effect Current thinking on fiscal policy Problems, Criticisms, and Complications Fiscal Policy Issues

11. 30-11 The Public Debt National or public debt $9.01 trillion Ownership –U.S. securities –53% owned by federal government and Federal Reserve –47% held outside the federal government and Federal Reserve

12. 30-12 Debt Held by the Federal Government and Federal Reserve (53%) Debt Held Outside The Federal Government and Federal Reserve (47%) Federal Reserve U.S. Government Agencies U.S. Individuals Foreign Ownership U.S. Banks And other Financial Institutions Other, Including State and Local Governments Source: U.S. Treasury 9% 7% 25% 8% 7% 44% The Public Debt Total Debt: $9.01 trillion

13. 30-13 Debt and GDP Interest charges –Primary burden –1.7% of GDP 2007 False concerns –Bankruptcy –Refinancing –Taxation –Burdening future generations

14. 30-14 Debt and GDP Substantive issues –Income distribution –Incentives –Foreign-owned public debt Crowding-out effect revisited –Burden on future generations –Public investment as an offset –Graphically

15. 30-15 The Leading Indicators 1.Average workweek 2.Initial claims for unemployment insurance 3.New orders for consumer goods 4.Vendor performance 5.New orders for capital goods 6.Building permits for houses 7.Stock prices 8.Money supply 9.Interest-rate spread 10.Consumer expectations Source: The Conference Board

16. 30-16 Key Terms fiscal policy Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) expansionary fiscal policy budget deficit contractionary fiscal policy budget surplus built-in stabilizer progressive tax system proportional tax system regressive tax system standardized budget cyclical deficit political business cycle crowding-out effect public debt U.S. securities external public debt public investments

17. 30-17 Next Chapter Preview… Money and Banking