Sinn, H.W., (2013), “In Praise of Debt Ceilings”, Project Syndicate, 17 October.
The wrangling about raising the US government’s borrowing limit – now thankfully over, at least for a few months – underscores the hazards posed by excessive state indebtedness. Governments nowadays are essentially running gigantic redistribution machines that steer funds from taxpayers to transfer recipients and other beneficiaries of public expenditure. The latter permanently ask for more, while the former zealously try to defend their purse.
In the end, the solution to this “redistribution battle” tends more often than not to be found in more government borrowing. For today’s democracies, the fact that those who will eventually have to pay the taxes to service the resulting debt cannot yet vote makes borrowing the most expedient way out of a messy political battle.
Relevant Posts
- Jordà, O., Schularick, M. and Taylor, A., (2013), “Sovereigns versus banks: Crises, causes and consequences”, VoxEU, 18 October.
- Das, S., (2013), “The Return of Europe’s Debt Crisis”, EconoMonitor, 16 October.
- Schadler, S., (2013), “The IMF and the legacy of the euro crisis”, VoxEU, 15 October.
- Buti, M. and Padoan, P.C., (2013), “How to make Europe’s incipient recovery durable – A rejoinder”,VoxEU, 08 October.